Five Nights With Mike
by Goldious
Summary: Mike Schmidt has made a very poor career choice, finding himself thrust into a family of animatronics with colourful personalities, whether he likes it or not. Currently rated "T" for general themes, but it may be upgraded in the future. Main relationship is MxM.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hello hello, this is my first fanfiction on this site, which I'm sure you've heard time and time again. I hope you all enjoy this story, feel free to leave a constructive review after reading. Updates do not follow a schedule, but shouldn't take longer than 2 weeks. Chapters should be longer than this one, as I wanted to make this one shorter.**

Feeling the cool Spring breeze blow along, Mike approached the steps to Freddy Fazbear's Pizzaria. He glanced back at his car, alone in the empty parking lot, ensuring its safety. Not that it mattered, it was possible that he wouldn't leave the restaurant tonight, at least not in one piece. Stepping into the darkened reception area, he pulled his phone out to use its flashlight, as he made his way to the security office.

Mike took a moment to glance at the three animatronics perched upon the show stage, Bonnie the Bunny, Chica the Chicken, and the titular Freddy Fazbear. All three stood frozen, wearing gleeful expressions, as if they could immediately start one of their songs at that moment, performing for children and their parents. Mike had never been in the restaurant during the day aside from his interview, during which he noted the excitement the characters drew out of the children who adored their songs. He thought about his shock and subsequent horror he faced when he started his first week, upon learning of their true behaviour shown at night. He thought of the terror he felt upon seeing Bonnie and Chica begin to travel the restaurant in the direction of his office, seeing Bonnie and Chica peer into the office through the windows as he scrambled to shut the door, and later of dealing with Foxy and Freddy Fazbear himself.

Despite his desire for self preservation, Mike went for his next night afterwards, and another, leading to him beginning his third week. His manager, whom he had already disregarded any notions of humanity and concern, wrote an attempt of praise on his second paycheck, "No one has stayed for two full weeks, good job kid". Mike thought of his parents, who of which he decided not to tell of the horrors he faced, began to notice his lack of sleep, lowered grades and generally instability. Just prior to work Mike had had an argument with his father, who began to suspect that Mike wasn't telling the truth on what his work truly entailed, asked to visit the store with him and meet the manager in a private meeting. Mike understood his concern, but obviously would be forced to find another job if his parents knew the true nature of the pizzeria at night, and a verbal fight had ensued.

After texting his father an apology, Mike noticed that it was 11:59pm, and promptly made his way to the office to begin his third week. When he started his second week, he learned that the animatronics would continue to be as aggressive as ever, not returning to the docility he faced on the start of his first week. Not that it mattered, Mike had mastered the animatronics, learned all of their quirks, and began to find some semblance of safety each night, as the four aggressive robots could not trick him, nor could they drain his power. Nonetheless he was curious to see if they had anything new to try this week, as clearly Mike wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. He dropped his bag into the drawer in his desk intended for such use, and plumped himself into the chair to begin his shift.

The moment 12:00am struck, Bonnie and Chica immediately ran off the stage, Freddy quickly joining them, to begin another night of hell. Mike immediately had to slam the left door shut to counter Bonnie who clearly wasn't playing any games anymore, and went straight for the security guard. Chica came by, and Freddy was quickly approaching the East Hall Corner. Foxy was standing outside of Pirate Cove, preparing a mad dash for the door. Mike was ready for this, and acted quickly, not letting his guard down once. The night began smoothly for Mike, he was able to fend off the animatronics, who at this point made their frustration clear, twitching and acting erratically, showing more violent behaviour than before.

The night was as intense as ever, the constant threat of being stuffed into an animatronic suit lingering over Mike. Hours went by, and he was as alert as ever with his movements, checking the door lights and cameras routinely. Around 5:00am, Mike took note that the animatronics were becoming notably less active than they had been, and had travelled away from his general vicinity. Mike found this was odd, as they kept pressure on him throughout the night, there was always at least two of the animatronics near him. He searched through the cameras, but could not find them. Foxy's curtain was wide open, causing Mike to instinctively slam his right door shut. After waiting a few seconds, he didn't hear a knock, but decided to leave the door shut just in case the fox was playing games with him.

As Mike scanned through the cameras in the rooms to his left to find Foxy, he came across the camera in the West Hall Corner, where Mike noticed that the poster that usually contained Freddy telling the world to party had changed to that of a golden bear. Mike leaned forward in his chair to make sure he wasn't losing his mind, as he had hallucinated about the animatronics on several occasions. He heard a giggle, and turned away from his computer and saw a large golden bear, resembling Freddy Fazbear slumped on the floor, its black eyes staring back at him.

Mike wasn't sure what to do, he stood up and backed himself to the desk, he felt his hands shaking as they gripped the oak desk. He felt the sweat quickly build on his forehead, he had never seen this animatronic in his two weeks doing the night shift. The golden bear motionlessly stared back at Mike, its eyes appearing as endless voids. Seconds felt like minutes, and they were only broken when the golden bear suddenly leaped up at Mike, its arms reaching out to grab him. Without thinking he kicked his chair at the bear, it rolled into the bear, but instead of colliding with the bear, it vanished into thin air, leaving the chair to hit the wall behind where it once sat.

Too shocked to process what just occurred, Mike slumped down on the floor, finally exhaling. _What was this new character? Was it an animatronic, or another hallucination? How did it teleport out of his office? _Before he could even attempt to answer his own questions, Mike noticed Chica and Freddy standing in the open right doorway. Faster than he thought he could move, he slammed the door shut as Chica raised her hand and Freddy moved towards the door. Mike turned to the left door and saw Bonnie and Foxy staring through the window next to the door he had shut earlier.

Mike allowed himself to lay flat on the ground as he began to cry, a mix of happiness at his survival and stress coming to surface. He smiled up at the ceiling, happy to be alive, listening to the hum of the fan and other electronics within the cramped office, when the power went out. Mike went pale, and any spark of happiness quickly left his body.

_Crap crap crap crap! _

He sat up and looked through the doors that had opened due to the loss of power, and saw four sets of eyes faintly staring back at him through the darkness. Freddy's face lit up as he started to play a song that sounded like it came from a music box, his eyes turning on and off, dancing with the music. Mike stared motionlessly back at Freddy who returned with his own stare, as the song played. The other animatronics stood by as Freddy's song continued, it must have only lasted a few seconds, but to Mike it felt as though an eternity had passed as he came to terms with the fact that he finally was defeated.

_I finally was outdone, but not even by any of the four animatronics... What was that bear?_

Mike thought of his parents at home, who he left on undesirable terms, causing him to regret his actions even more.

_My poor mom, she'll lose her son, and my poor dad will think that this is somehow his fault._

He thought of his sister Anna, his best friend in the world, she was slightly older than Mike but was far more outgoing than the more reclusive Mike. She knew about the job and the horrors Mike had faced, as she found Mike in the middle of a breakdown after his second shift, and helped him through the rest of his nights at the Pizzeria, supporting him all the way. She didn't like that Mike continued to work at the pizzeria, but knowing her brother wasn't one to give when he committed himself, conceited and helped him plan out strategies to fend off the hostile animatronics.

_If I'm gone, her world would be destroyed. I can't do that to her._

Freddy's song ended abruptly, leaving Mike in complete darkness, he couldn't even see the animatronics eyes in the dark anymore. Mike collapsed once again on the floor, crumpling into a ball as he began to cry into his hands He heard footsteps in the dark, hearing Freddy and the others step closer. He felt a cold, hard animatronic hand grab one of his hands that were shielding his face. Another one grabbed his other arm, and Mike felt himself lose conscience, as he passed out in exhaustion and fear.

* * *

Mike's father paced around the kitchen, frustrated. At the table sat Mike's mother, who had listened to the argument unfold as she was preparing herself for bed. When she heard it heating up, she separated her husband and her son, sending Mike off to work while she fixed herself a glass of milk and brought her husband into the kitchen to talk.

"Sarah, he's not telling us everything. Something is going on at his work, Micheal has been acting strange ever since he started working there. He doesn't eat, he doesn't sleep, he's a mess," his dad said, raising his hands in defeat.

"You could have communicated that to him clearer, Tom. He's stressed out enough as it is, he doesn't need his parents adding to his problems."

"I don't know if its his manager or a coworker, or the nature of the work, the fact that it's a night shift, I just wish he would tell me. I'm his father."

"I don't disagree with you dear. Micheal is a very honest kid, I can tell when he's lying, he's not very good at it. He'll talk to us about it when he's more comfortable."

"I feel as though he doesn't trust me," Tom said, shaking his head as he thought about the words shared earlier. It had been a very long time since he and his son had an argument, let alone one as intense. He felt bad about the words exchange, and felt as though he could have handled the situation better. Sarah finished the glass of milk she had prepared herself before replying to her husband.

"I don't think that's the case. I agree that something is bothering Micheal, he hasn't been himself the past two weeks. He usually tells one of his if something is up, and I just think we should give him some time."

"Alright, you win. I'm too tired to think about this anymore."

"Some sleep will do all of us some good," Sarah concluded, putting her cup in the sink and following her husband to their bedroom.

Inside of her bedroom, Anna slumped onto the floor against the door. She had been listening to the conversation between her parents. Mike had told her about the true nature of his job, and she feared for his life, but felt that there was nothing she could do to stop him. A tear fell down her cheek as she thought about what he brother was going through at that very moment in the Pizzeria.

* * *

Mike awoke feeling an intense pain on his head. He felt dizzy, and glanced around as his vision cleared up, seeing that he was in a room with a television with two couches and two armchairs facing it, a wooden table and chairs off in a corner, large bookcases in another corner, and two doors leading out on either side of the television. He was wrapped snugly in a blanket on the larger couch facing the television, which was turned off. The room was dark, with all the lights turned off aside from a lamp next to him. The only window had heavy curtains blocking its view.

_Where am I? Am I in someone's home? Is this some sort of lounge?_

Mike remembered the events of the previous night, how he was finally defeated by them.

_Who was the golden bear? Was I stuffed into an animatronic suit? Am I dead?_

Deciding to explore his surroundings, Mike climbed up, and unwrapped the blanket he had slept in, placing it next to him. Immediately his head began to spin, he felt everything go dark round him for a moment as he waited for his mind to wake up with the rest of himself. His head was killing him, whatever happened last night he was going to feel for the rest of the day. Mike noticed a clock on the wall next to the door to the right of the television.

_9:52. Crap._

Wherever he was, it was long after his shift at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza was scheduled to have ended. Thinking of texting his parents to let him know that he was ok, Mike reached for his phone, only to notice that it was missing from his right pocket, where he normally kept it. Panic returned to the security guard, as he realized he was alone.

Mike opened the door next to the clock, and to his surprise, it opened into a familiar room at the Pizzeria. The room he had slept in was connected to the backstage, where spare parts for the animatronics were kept, along with costumes, tool kits, and other maintenance-related items. Making his way to the door that lead to the main dining area, Mike noticed that the animatronic costumes had not been moved, meaning the animatronics had not tried to stuff him into a suit once they presumably caught him. He shuddered as he passed the spare animatronic heads lined on the shelves, remembering on more than one occasion spotting them all turned towards the camera, staring into his soul.

Stepping into the dining area, more questions came to Mike. Everything was as it should be, the place was clean and organized, as it was when his shift began the previous night. Turning to the stage, Mike saw that the three animatronics were motionless in their intended spots, innocent and smiling to the empty dining area, giving no indication of the nightly routines. He kept a close eye on them as he made his way to the main front door, wanting nothing to do with the evil robots, when he remembered that his bag was in the security office, and he still didn't have his phone. Without a desire to spend any more time in the pizzeria that day, Mike hastily made his way back towards his familiar workspace, bumping into a chair on the way, which he blamed on his lack of composure.

Once he arrived in the security office, he immediately noticed that the mess made during his fight with the golden bear had been cleaned, the room looked as if nothing of note had occurred the previous night. Turning to the desk, Mike spotted his bag, which was removed from the desk drawer, placed gingerly on the desk with his phone next to it, and curiously a cupcake, similar to the one on top of the computer monitor, eyes made of icing and all, smiling back at him. Mike frowned as he lifted it up to his face, examining it closely.

"Who brought you out for me? Aren't these meant for the kids during the day?" He asked the cupcake, which had nothing to say in return. Mike recognized the cupcake as the very one that children could order during the day, or would receive for free on their birthday. Mike felt a wave of hunger travel through his body at the thought of food, he hadn't eaten for nearly 12 hours, but stopped himself from taking a bite when he realized the potential danger.

_If one of the animatronics brought this out, they probably are trying to poison me with it. Chica's in the kitchen a lot at night and probably added something to it. No thanks._

He decided to leave the cupcake on the desk, and collected the rest of his belongings as he made his way back towards the reception area to finally leave the hell-hole of a workplace he was employed at. Mike was about to open the door when he noticed a second car in the parking lot, along with his own.

"Hey, you're still here?"

If Mike had screamed any louder, he probably would have shattered the glass windows.

"Oh my goodness, I'm sorry! I just thought you had left, your shift ended almost 4 hours ago," Mike whipped around to see a middle-aged man facing him, wearing a white chef's uniform and floppy hat. He was of average height, with a mustache and short dark hair that clearly indicated an Italian background. "You're the night security guard, right?"

"Yeah… last night didn't go too well, and I blacked out. I woke up in some sort of lounge, not too long ago," Mike said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with his spare hand, the other holding his belongings.

"Rough night, you say? Did somebody break in?"

"No, I saw a golden bear, it attacked me, and I guess I passed out from pure exhaustion or something."

"A golden bear, you say? Are you sure it wasn't Chica?"

"No, it was in the security office right in front of me, I could tell it wasn't her," Mike shook his head, he clearly remembered it being a golden version of Freddy. "Wait, you know that the animatronics can move into the office?"

The chef sighed and shook his head, turning his gaze to the floor. "Come grab a seat in the dining area, you and I need to have a chat."

* * *

"So let me get this straight. You know that the animatronics not only move at night, but you also say that they don't stuff the security guards into animatronics suits, they just like to scare the guards for fun. Is that what you're saying?"

Mike and the chef, who revealed his named to be Tony and the head chef of the pizzeria, sat at one of the tables in the pizzeria talking, where Mike went through the details of the previous night, along with the hell he had put up with during the two weeks he had already completed, and the conditions he woke up in. The guard didn't seem surprised by what he had to say, and had even revealed that the animatronics, specifically Chica who help the kitchen staff by preparing the dough and pizza sauce at night for the following day.

"That's exactly it. They get a kick out of scaring teenagers like you, most of which apply due to the rumours that spread about this place," Tony said, with a smile.

"But they're animatronics, they're robots, they aren't sentient."

"I don't know what they truly are, Mike. All I know is that I've been working since the first location opened, and they've been the same at night ever since. Helping with the kitchen prep at night, while giving the security guard a scare. It's been a blessing too, on nights when there isn't a security guard, they clean the whole store, polish the floors, fix light bulbs, extcetria."

"What do they do when they catch the security guard, then?" Mike asked, still not entirely buying what Tony was telling him.

"Exactly what they did last night. Wrap you up in a blanket and let you sleep, or go back to the stage and try again the following night," Tony answered with a chuckle.

"I guess that explains why so many guards quit, and spread rumours. Those guys are terrifying at night." Mike couldn't help but laugh himself as he thought of some of his college friends being scared by a giant robot bear that got its kicks from terrorizing teenagers. "But then, why does the manager keep hiring security guards? With such a high turnover rate, isn't it more work than it's worth?"

Tony shook his head at this. "I'm not entirely sure, but it has something to do with insurance, I think. One way or another it's simply easier for the boss to keep hiring new security guards."

"I suppose that makes sense." Mike said, with a smile, feeling at ease now that he knew that his life wasn't on the line anymore. He felt that he could trust Tony, he seemed like an honest guy. Then he thought again of the golden Freddy he had seen last night, and his strange ability to teleport. "What about the golden bear?"

Tony's smile went away. "That's Golden Freddy, or just "Goldie". He used to be the star of this place, along with a similar "Golden Bonnie", they were the original animatronics years and years ago. One day the golden bunny stopped working and had to be scrapped, leaving Golden Freddy as the sole attraction, so the owner decided to retire him and bring a new set of animatronics, the ones that are here today. Golden Freddy is still kept in the back room, and I've heard on occasion he likes to come out and scare the security guard along with the rest of his friends."

Mike thought about this for a moment. _Another animatronic in the back, one that was retired? Who was this "Golden Bonnie"?_ "What about him teleporting?" Mike asked the head chef.

"I don't know about that, perhaps since you probably passed out due to exhaustion, you may not have seen the bear leave quickly," Tony answered.

"That's probably right." Mike replied, when he felt his phone buzzing. He looked down at it, and saw a series of missed texts from his family, and a call coming in from his dad. "Shoot, I've got to get going, I'm late for class." Mike said as he quickly began to gather his things to get going. He scowled at the time, it was almost quarter to 11:00.

"I best be getting back to my work, too. Most of the day staff and the manager come in at 11:00, when we open the store." Tony replied, making his way back to the kitchen. "It was nice chatting with you, I hope you decide to stay, you seem like a good kid."

Mike smiled back at the man. "Thanks for talking with me, I appreciate it. See you around." He smiled as he walked out the pizzeria, heading towards his car. As he drove home, he thought about the pizzeria some more. _The animatronics are more than just robots. They like to scare the guards? They can cook and clean?_ _Who left me the cupcake, was it Tony or one of the animatronics? Who really was this "Golden Freddy"? _Despite all the answers Tony gave him, Mike had even more questions than answers at this point. What exactly was he dealing with?


	2. Chapter 2

**Obligatory Author's Note: Thanks for the kind words in response to the first chapter. I just wanted to clarify: This takes place in an alternate universe. While some of Five Night's at Freddy's lore is present, such as the murders of the four kids, it doesn't go much farther than that. It takes place in the present day (2020, the time of writing this), with Freddy Fazbear's Pizza from the first game still open, Fazbear's Fright does not exist. Lastly I want to mention that the animatronics are not haunted in this story. I will explain in a later chapter how they work in this story. But enough blabbing, on with the chapter.**

Mike locked his car, and began to head to the front door, having finally made his home from the longest shift he had ever worked. While he spent a large portion of it asleep, he didn't feel as though he had rested at all. He wanted nothing more than to jump in bed and sleep for the rest of the day. Unfortunately he no longer had time to make his morning class at university, still had one in the afternoon, and on top of his schoolwork, had to head back for his second shift of the week. On top of everything, he had his father to deal with, their argument had yet to be resolved. It wasn't even noon, and he felt too exhausted to deal with the rest of the day. Normally Mike was a fairly passive, quiet individual, but he had to admit that he had a bit of temper that came to him with exhaustion.

Upon opening his front door, the smell of turkey immediately came to him, a familiar aroma from his household. _Turkey soup. Score!_

Mike heard his mom shuffle in the kitchen as he closed the door. "There you are! Why were you at work so late, dear?" Mike's mom sped out of the kitchen towards Mike, pulling him into a full hug, her head at his chest, as she was far shorter than her son. "I saw your text message, but I couldn't help but be worried about you. Was everything alright at work? Did something happen? Have you had something to eat since work?"

Mike smiled at his mom, as he pulled away from the hug. "Mom, relax. I'm fine. I just fell asleep at work, and the head chef found me at the desk and sent me home. It's all good." This seemed to ease her, but she was still visibly concerned.

"Alright, but are you going to get in trouble with your manager because of that?"

"No, I don't think so. I'm only getting paid for the time I was supposed to, so it's fine. And no I haven't eaten, is the soup for dinner?

Mike's mother smiled back, convinced of her son's well being. "Yes, it isn't done now. I can fix you a sandwich while you settle down. Take your time, relax. You have to leave for your class in around an hour, so make sure you have some time for yourself," She turned back into the kitchen to presumably prepare Mike lunch, as Mike made his way to his room.

* * *

Mike took another bite of his sandwich as he sat at the kitchen table. His mom was still working on dinner, stirring the large pot of soup as she added spices. Mike always enjoyed his mother's cooking, she could make anything taste good. He thought of a time when he was significantly younger, helping with thanksgiving dinner. Too young and eager to be left alone, he had added far too many apples into the pie for dessert, but his mom salvaged it and made it into a large apple crisp for the family to enjoy. He smiled as he thought of her, his mom was a sweet woman, always finding a positive in an otherwise negative situation.

His father came to mind, who was currently at work. While they exchanged a brief conversation through text, they had yet to properly talk since their argument last night. It would have to wait until late that night though, as Mike would be asleep when his father returned from his job around dinner time. While Mike's relationship with his father wasn't as strong as his mother's, they still loved each other, and worked through their differences. The verbal confrontation of the previous night was worse than they had fought in a long time, but it would blow over once they talked.

Mike's mother turned towards her son and approached the kitchen table, placing a small brown paper bag on it. "Now I know that you're an adult and can take care of yourself, but I took the liberty of preparing you a snack for your class."

"Thanks mom," Mike smiled as he placed the bag into his backpack. "I'll have dinner before I leave for work."

"Alright dear, it will still be on the stove, so help yourself to some and be sure to microwave it for a bit." She pulled up a chair and sat next to Mike. "You and your father haven't spoken since last night, have you?"

Mike shook his head as he wiped his face with a napkin. "Aside from a few text messages, no. He's not still mad, is he?"

"Upset would be a better word. Your father cares for you, he just doesn't always show it in the best way. Him and I talked this morning, and he told me that he wants to go into your work during the day and meet your manager to make sure everything is alright at work."

"I don't know if that's necessary mom, everything is fine at work, it this was just a one-time event."

"Micheal, he was really worried about you when he saw that you weren't home when he left for work. He's concerned for your well-being, as I am, you haven't been yourself the past several days," She said as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I promise you mom, I'm going to be fine, you and dad don't have to worry about me."

"I'll stop worrying once I know everything is alright at your work. Your father insists on going."

Mike shook his head as he took another bite of his sandwich. "Mom, this is a children's restaurant. There isn't anything dangerous going on there."

"I've heard the rumours Micheal, there's something more going on at that pizzeria."

"But that's all they are, rumours. Speculation and unfounded. You don't have to worry about me."

"Ok, but you aren't your usual self." Mike's mom stood up from her chair and began to stir the large pot of turkey soup that was left unattended. "Let's make a deal. If you agree to go into your work during the day with your father, I'll come too. That way you don't have to worry too much about him. Your father and I just want to ensure that our son is safe."

Mike sighed as he wiped his face once more with his napkin, having finished his sandwich. "Alright, I can see I'm not going to win here. Do you promise that you'll let it go once you see the place?"

His mom smiled, happy at her victory. "I will, as long as it's all safe and sound."

"Ok, that'll do, I suppose. Can we go later in the week? I don't have classes on Thursday or Friday, so that will work."

"You father has a longer lunch break on Friday, that day will work."

"Alright. Make sure you and dad are awake when I leave for work tonight, around 11:30. I'm heading off to class now," Mike said as he put his backpack on and made his way towards the front door.

"We will be, I'll see you later son. Love you."

"Love you too mom."

* * *

As Mike was in his classes that afternoon, he couldn't help but think about the pizzeria some more. Tonight he had to deal with them again, but now he knew that they were harmless. They only wanted to scare him, and he was going to be prepared for them. Once he was home and had slept for several hours, his father and him made amends, and all was good between them. His mother's turkey soup had been fantastic as always, and he even brought some to work for the first time since his first shift, when he first learned that he wasn't going to be able to take a short dinner break at his work. Now he felt that he was able to take control himself, the only wild card was Golden Freddy, who didn't seem to share the same attitude towards the security guards as the main animatronics. Regardless, tonight was bound to be an interesting night.

Mike placed his dinner inside of the employee longue mini-fridge, and made his way to the security office. He passed the three main animatronics on the show stage, and he stopped and smiled at them. _You're all going down tonight_.

As 12:00am approached, Mike sat down in his chair. The animatronics once again sprang to life as the clock chimed, a chime that used to bring a feeling of dread upon the poor security guard, but now excited him at the chance of getting sweet, sweet revenge.

Bonnie was the first to come to the office, as usual. The bunny stood in the doorway and smiled cockily at the guard, who no longer felt fear down his spine upon seeing the animatronic or his cohorts. Inside of immediately shutting the door, Mike used his knowledge of the Freddy Fazbear poster in his office, and pressed the animatronic's nose, a satisfying "SQUEE!" coming from the release of air as he pulled back. Bonnie's face quickly changed to that of shock, his mouth agape as he processed what just happened. Mike waved to the confused animatronic, a large smile across his face as he shut the door on his face. He laughed as he flipped through the security cameras, finding Foxy was peeking out of the curtains, Freddy only in the washrooms, he was relatively safe for now.

Mike heard footsteps to his right, and saw Chica standing in the other doorway, with a similar demeanor as her bunny friend had previously sported. She didn't have a nose to press, so instead he employed a new tact.

"You like to eat, right?" Mike grabbed a dinner roll that he had packed with his dinner, and threw it at the robotic chicken. A satisfying "BONK" was heard as it hit her in between her eyes, causing her to also lose her composure, as Bonnie had. Again Mike waved at the bird while smiling, slamming the metal door in her face.

After toying around with Bonnie and Chica for a while longer, which only seemed to make them more aggressive towards the security guards and thus less organized, Mike noticed that Freddy had made his way to the East Hall Corner, staring up at the security camera. Having planned his revenge for Freddy first, Mike immediately sprang into action. Once he noticed that Chica wasn't in the area, he left the left door open, encouraging the bear to try an attack. Mike had several close encounters with the bear before, so he had learned that the bear would always try to sneak in quickly but quietly. He pulled out a spare Freddy Fazbear mask that he had "borrowed" from backstage, and as he heard footsteps approaching, he hid next to the door. As the bear turned into the office, Mike whipped around to face him with the mask on.

"WHO'S THE BIRTHDAY BOY?!" Mike shouted, scaring the bear, causing him to jump and fall backwards into the bookcase. Mike couldn't help but laugh at Freddy's expense, the typically proud and composed leader of the group on the floor covered in books, papers, and other trash. The bear quickly stood up, his eyes switching to black, full of anger as he tried to run into the office, only to meet a metal door as it slammed into his face. He heard an animatronic screech and pounding on the door, before he saw Freddy retreat down the East hall. _Three down, one to go._

Foxy had left Pirate's Cove, and Mike smiled as he watched the fox bolt down the West Hall. Mike didn't close the door, he kept smiling as the fox rounded around the window of the security room and ran into his office, only to trip over a tripwire Mike had quickly set up. The fox fell to the ground with a loud crash, taking Mike's chair with him. Mike fell to the floor with laughter as he shut the left door, the pirate fox was sprawled on the dirty pizzeria floor with a chair pinning him down.

Through his laughter and attempts to keep air in his lungs Mike failed to remember that the fox was still in his office, now locked with him. His realization came too late as Foxy quickly stood up and stood over the security guard with his eyes black and glossy. Mike tried to make a run for the open right door, but was caught by the fox who grabbed the security guard with his sole hand. "Yer' comin with me, kid. I hope you enjoyed yer' short life."

Mike struggled against Foxy as he was dragged down the West Hall on his back, the pirate fox gripping both his hands with an iron grip. Coming into the dining area, Chica came up to the two and grabbed Mike's other hand, pulling him faster as they dragged him towards the backstage. While he believed that the animatronics were harmless after what Tony told him, a growing pit in his stomach began to tell him that he was going to be stuffed into an animatronic suit, and that even if they weren't deadly, he had crossed the line. Mike felt a tear go down his neck as Freddy and Bonnie joined, picking up his legs as they entered backstage.

Fear turned to panic as Mike saw a Freddy Fazbear suit sitting in a chair against the wooden table in the center of the room, ready for him. Mike desperately began to flail against his captors, but it was four to one, he couldn't break free. All the animatronics were smiling evilly, as Foxy and Freddy began to prepare the Freddy suit while Bonnie and Chica held him by his arms and legs. Tears streamed down the young man's face as he was lifted up and placed on the chair by the bunny and chicken, Foxy and Freddy began to clamp in the feet leg parts of the animatronic suit. He began to feel pain as the large body piece was locked in place, tight on his thin body.

Once his arms and hands were inside of the Freddy suit, Mike whimpered as Bonnie leaned in and pinched his nose hard. "I think we should crush this little nose of his," A voice with a faint british accent said evilly.

Chica shook her head at the bunny, and gleefully turned to Mike. "Or we could cover him in icing and sprinkles. That would hide all the blood," She said with a Southern accent, clamping her hands up to her chest.

"Aye, then we could push him on the floor and laugh," Foxy chimed in next, with the pirate voice Mike had heard previously.

Mike saw Freddy pick up the Freddy Fazbear head, the last piece. He stood over the security guard with an evil look, his eyes glazed over in black like the rest of the animatronics. "He seems to have a fondness for Freddy Fazbear masks," He said with a strong, fatherly voice. " This one looks like a tight fit, but that's alright."

Mike shook his head as Freddy leaned in with the Freddy head, the other animatronics watching eagerly. He tried to kick or punch the bear, but he couldn't move his arms or legs due to the animatronic suit. He closed his eyes as the spare head was nearly on his face, when a large crash and shattering sound interrupted. Freddy and the other animatronics eyes returned to their normal state, as their attention was drawn away from the security guard. All four left the room, presumably to investigate the source of the noise.

Alone in the backstage room, Mike shook his body in a desperate attempt to break free, but it didn't seem to work. _How could I have been so stupid, to beleive what Tony said? These animatronics are killers! _Mike teared up again as he became frustrated with himself. He thought of his mother and father, who were right all along not to trust the animatronics. Even his sister had reservations about the Pizzeria, and warned him not to go. Now they probably wouldn't know what happened to him, he was going to die inside of a Freddy Fazbear costume.

Suddenly Mike heard a click, and felt the pressure release on his right arm. He looked down, as best as he could with the suit covered his neck, and saw that the Freddy suit arm had fallen off. Freddy must not have put it on hard, but nonetheless he quickly began to free his other arm, and after removing the chest and leg pieces, he was free of the cursed suit. Mike stood up proud, he wasn't going down without a fight. He decided the best course of action was to grab his belongings and run, before the animatronics could get him.

Mike entered the dining room, and quickly learned what the source of the crash from earlier was. One of the windows in the dining area was shattered, a large rock was at the base of it. None of the animatronics were visible, but Mike knew that they could hide, despite their large stature. He made his way past Pirate Cove, deciding not to peek into the closed curtains, before wandering down the West Hall.

Upon reaching the security room, Mike saw another man standing inside, wearing all black with his face covered, going through his personal belongings. Before he was spotted, Mike ducked below the window. Panic returned to the security guard. In his training he was never told what to do incase of an actual break-in, he never realized until now. Mike decided that he should call the police first, knowing that there were several phones around the pizzeria, the one in the manager's office being the closest and safest, as it was just next to the supply closet in the West Hall. Before he could make his way into the manager's office, Mike heard a voice from the security office.

"Hey there bunny, remember me?" Mike turned around and looked back into the security office, only to see Bonnie standing in the right door, staring down at the man responsible for the break-in. "We met a very long time ago. I see you don't miss me. It doesn't matter, you won't miss this!" The man swung a metal crowbar at the purple bunny, knocking him to the ground with a crash. He stood over the damaged robot, and raised the crowbar for another swing, as the animatronic looked helplessly up at his attacker with fear.

Mike acted quickly, and he grabbed the hard plastic water bottle he brought with him to work every week, and swung it hard at the robber's head, a satisfying "THUNK" echoing down the halls as the man fell to the floor unconscious, dropping the crowbar.

Footsteps were heard down the hall, as the other animatronics came quickly to aid their fallen friend, Chica and Foxy lifted up Bonnie and looked to the dent on his head, while Freddy, who had come down the West Hall, turned to the security guard with a glare. "Did you do this?" He said angrily.

"No! No, I came to see what the loud crash was, and I saw this man strike Bonnie with a crowbar, and then I hit him with my water bottle. I didn't attack Bonnie!" Mike exclaimed, pointing at the unconscious man on the floor of the security room.

Freddy turned his gaze to the bunny, who was adjusting his head costume, which had been knocked out of place. "Yeah, he's right."

Freddy returned his gaze to Mike, who felt the fear return to him as the bear glared daggers into him. He walked past Mike, who quickly stepped out of his way, and went to the robber collapsed on the floor, searching his clothing. "Well, look at this. "Fritz Smith". Now, where have we heard that name before?" Freddy said, his eyes flickering black once again.

The other animatronics looked shocked upon hearing the name. "I think I know what we need to do, captain," Foxy said, leaving Bonnie's side to pick up the unconscious man. He carried it out the left door, down the West Hall. Bonnie and Chica followed him, while Freddy turned back to the security guard.

"You can return to your job now. We'll take care of him from here, it seems a spare suit has been left empty for him."

Mike wasn't sure how to respond to that, so instead he asked about the window. "What about the window, should I call the police?"

Freddy shook his head. "No, that won't be necessary. The manager can deal with it in the morning." The bear turned to leave, not wanting to miss out on the fun his friends must be having with the robber.

"Are you guys going to try to kill me again?" Mike asked feebly, wanting to ensure his safety before he was left alone again. Freddy turned back to the guard, a smile growing on his face.

"Oh, we don't kill security guards. What made you think that we did?" Mike's mouth hung agape, not sure how to reply to the bear. "We just wanted to put a scare into you, and just happened to have gotten carried away. We enjoy revenge as much as you seem to, although we may have taken it a tad too far. There's no harm in being stuffed into a spare animatronic suit… assuming that the springlocks aren't triggered externally."

Freddy chuckled as he walked down the hall, leaving Mike alone in the security office. He didn't know if he should be ecstatic or terrified, but nonetheless he was glad that he finally knew for sure that the animatronics were not dangerous. He settled back in his chair, as he still had a couple more hours to go, it was only 3:20am. Not only was he safe, the animatronics seemed to have a sense of humour. Looking back, they were quite ridiculous and over the top while stuffing Mike into a suit, clearly having a kick out of making the poor security guard suffer. He did deserve it, after all.

Mike's thoughts went back to the robber, as he flipped through the security cameras. _Who was this Fritz Smith? The animatronics seemed to know him, and there appeared to have been a feud of sorts between them. Enough of a feud to be stuffed into an animatronic fursuit and killed._ He sighed and shook his head.

_What am I getting myself into?_

* * *

Mike slammed the door on his car shut. The bright sunlight warmed him from the colder than usual weather, a cold spell had come in. He shoved his hands into his pockets, after tightening his scarf around his neck. His sister Anna stood by him, similarly dressed up for the cooler weather. Despite her being two years his senior, She was shorter than Mike. They both had similar dark brown hair that contrasted their pale skin. She adjusted her purse on her shoulder as the two stepped up to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.

"Alright, let's go in so you can make a fool of yourself." Anna said, shivering at the cold.

"I just want to make sure everything is normal during the day first. It's no big deal, besides the pizza is pretty good." Mike had told his sister about the previous night's events during the drive. While Anna was less worried about the animatronics, she had yet to trust them. The thought of him being stuffed into a Freddy suit, bleeding out in the back room while the animatronics happily sang to crowds of children haunted her. Or even worse, being beaten up and kidnapped by a robber who seemed to have a history with the pizzeria. Mike had asked Anna to come with him to the pizzeria during the day before he went with his parents, incase the animatronics or his manager pulled anything while they were there. Better safe than sorry.

The familiar smell of pizza came to Mike as he entered the pizzeria, approaching the reception desk where a young woman greeted them, and led them to a booth near the East Hall entrance from the dining area. Mike looked up at the animatronics on the stage, singing one of their songs as children watched with glee. He made eye contact with Freddy, recognizing the security guard. Bonnie and Chica glanced at him as well, and continued singing with the bear. Mike turned his focus back to his sister, who was reading the menu.

"I thought all they had here was pizza. There's all sorts of salads, pastas, and even a detailed desert menu." Anna commented, unable to pick a menu item from the large list.

"Yeah, it's not a small menu." Mike said as he focused on the pizzas on the first page. "You should just try one of their specialty pizzas, from what I've had, it's the best thing on the menu."

"Alright, care to split a large Fazbear Deluxe?"

"Sure," Mike said as the two of them put their menus down. A familiar face came up to the two of them after a moment, with a pen and paper to take their order.

"Hey there, Mike. Nice seeing you again. Can I get you something to drink?" Tony asked, smiling at his coworker.

"Yeah, I'll do a Pepsi, Tony. This is my sister Anna," Mike gestured towards his sister.

"Nice to meet you. I'll do a Pepsi as well," Anna gave the chef a smile as she shook his hand.

"We only have Coke, is that alright?"

"Yeah, we'll live."

Tony went back to the kitchen while Anna leaned towards Mike. "He's the one you told me about, right? He seems nice."

"He is, I'm glad he isn't a jerk like my manager," Mike replied, quickly checking his perimeter in case his manager was on the floor, not wanting to lose his job.

"Those animatronics up there look kinda creepy, do they come off the stage during the day?" Anna asked, nodding her head towards the show stage.

Mike shook his head. "No, only at night. I should ask someone when I have the chance why they don't." As if on cue, Tony returned with their beverages. "Hey Tony, why don't Freddy, Bonnie or Chica come off the stage during the day?"

Tony frowned. "It's a long story, kid. The long and the short of it is due to safety. An incident happened a long time ago with an animatronic, it was scrapped, and management decided that the best course of action was to keep the animatronics on the stage during the day."

Mike and Anna were shocked. "What on Earth happened?"

Tony looked around to make sure there wasn't anyone else nearby, and leaned in. "There was the Bite of 87', we had a different set of animatronics back then, something happened to them and one bit a child during the day, bless the poor child. The whole set of animatronics were scrapped, and the restaurant had to close. About a year later this one opened with the animatronics you see up there."

"I thought the animatronics didn't kill people?" Anna said, confused.

"They don't, someone really screwed with their wiring, they malfunctioned. I don't even think the animatronic itself knew what was going on."

Mike looked down at the table. "That's awful. I'm glad that it's in the past though, poor kid."

"Yeah, it's a shame. But anyways, I've got to get back to work, so what can I get started for you?" Tony asked, quickly changing the subject to something more light-hearted. Mike and Anna ordered their pizza, and Tony returned to the kitchen. It was only a Tuesday around noon, there weren't too many families at the pizzeria, mostly those with really young children. From what Tony told Mike last time they spoke, he often went out and took orders and table-touched with customers on slower days, as he wasn't needed in the kitchen as much.

Another man approached the siblings, this one slightly older than Tony, his stubble and greying hair sticking amongst the younger families. It was Bruce, his manager, perhaps the only one that could inflict more pain in Mike than the animatronics. He stopped at their table with an obviously fake smile. "Good afternoon Michael. Pay day isn't until tomorrow, you know."

Mike gave his manager a confused look. "I know, I just came in with my sister to get some lunch."

"You must really like it here, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm enjoying it at work. Lots of great people, the pizza is nice, it's not too far from home…"

"And it's well managed!" Bruce said with another fake smile.

Mike did his best to smile and not laugh, remembering several complaints Tony had about the man, along with his own observations. Anna held out her hand, saving Mike from the awkward situation. "My name is Anna, I'm Mike's sister. You must be Bruce?"

Bruce smiled as he shook the girl's hand, happy at the ego boost. "Pleasure to meet the family of one of my favourite workers, especially when they're real charmers. Are you looking for a job, miss?"

"Oh no, I'm already working my dream job," Anna said as she shook her head, blushing at the awkward compliment. She gave her brother a look, which he could only sheepishly smile at. A third man approached Mike and Anna's table, this one was much younger, around the age of Mike and Anna. He had messy ginger-brown hair, and seemed much less entitled than the manager. He was wearing the same security uniform Mike would wear during his night shift.

"Hey boss, there's a lady who wants to speak to the manager up at reception," the man said, pointing in the direction of the entrance to the pizzeria. Bruce left without a word to resolve the situation in his own special way. The man turned to Mike and his sister. "You must be Michael, the night guard? I'm Jeremy, I do the day shifts here."

Mike smiled and shook Jeremy's hand. "Just Mike will do. Nice to meet you."

"And you must be?" He turned to Mike's sister, offering his hand to her.

"Anna, I'm his sister, we're here for lunch. Nice to meet you, Jeremy." Anna smiled, as she also shook his hand.

"I have to ask you man, do the animatronics still try to stuff you into a furry suit at night? I don't know how you've made it over two weeks. After I finished one, I begged to be put on the day shift, and there was an opening, lucky me."

Mike let out a small laugh as he was reminded of the animatronics. "No, they actually just get a kick out of scaring the guards. I've been pranking them back, so it's all good. The rest is just rumors and such."

"Oh my gosh, pranked the animatronics?" Jeremy asked with a loud laugh and hit Mike's shoulder in a friendly way. "You have to tell me what you did!"

Mike opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Tony, as he returned to the siblings table with their order. "I have your large Fazbear deluxe. Jeremy, as much as I enjoy your company, you have work to do." Tony said, turning to the day guard.

Jeremy smiled sheepishly, giving Tony two thumbs-up. "Right. Catch you on the flipside," He said as he stumbled backwards towards the security office, bumping into a chair in his haste. The three laughed at his expense. Mike went to grab his first slice of pizza, when he noticed that there was garlic bread on the tray along with the pizza.

"Hey Tony, there's some extra food here. I think you gave us the wrong order," Mike said, holding up the bread basket for the head chef, who shook his head in return.

"Don't worry kid, it's on the house," He smiled as he returned to the kitchen.

Anna grinned and quickly grabbed a slice. "This place isn't so bad after all, I suppose." Mike smiled back at his sister, as they began their meal.

* * *

Mike and his sister left for their home, the rest of their meal had been peaceful, other than Bruce once again trying to sway Anna into working at the pizzeria. She brushed him off and the two finished their meal, paid and were on their way home, Mike driving as Anna sat in the passenger seat.

"Thanks for this Mike." Anna said, while looking out the window, "I know it was meant to test the place before you went with mom and dad, but I genuinely had a good time. There's a lot of colourful personalities at your work."

"Yeah, it seems to attract people like that."

"You included?"

"Shut it."

Anna noticed a child walking alongside the road, holding a Freddy Fazbear plushie in one hand, his mother's in another. He was happy as could be, presumably on his way to spend another afternoon with the animatronics. Anna smiled as she thought of simpler times, when she and her brother used to go to the Pizzeria as kids, not much had changed there in the 10 - 15 years.

"Chica was always my favourite. Along with mom, I really wanted to learn how to cook at a young age. Which one was your favourite?" Anna asked her brother.

"I guess I'd have to say Bonnie, I've always wanted to learn the guitar, but never really had the time to pick it up."

"And purple is your favourite colour."

"Exactly."

Anna pictured her and her brother running into the pizzeria as kids, Mike holding a Bonnie plushie and herself with a Chica one, smiling and cheering as the animatronics sang their songs, while their parents watched from the dining tables. Despite the fact that she was an adult, soon to move out and truly start her on life with only a year left in university and a career in culinary arts waiting for her, she still missed the simpler times of childhood.

"Say Mike, why exactly do you stay at the Pizzeria? I know that there are some great people, the food is nice, and everything you said earlier, but there are better places that could offer you higher pay that you could work for."

Mike frowned upon hearing the question. "Oh, don't tell me you're going to give me another talking to, like dad did when I told him I applied at the pizzeria."

Anna giggled remembering her father's reaction, as she corrected her question. "Sorry, I should be more clear. I meant what truly makes you want to go, eager to work there. Even before you learned that the animatronics weren't killers, what drove you to go to work every day?"

Mike had to pause to think about her question. While he definitely wanted to quit after every shift during those first two weeks, he felt the urge to keep going. It was against his survival instinct, but nonetheless he found himself going back to work for his next shift. "I honestly can't say for sure, but I think it was a gut feeling that it would get better over time."

This seemed to satisfy Anna. "I guess that makes sense," she said as they pulled into their driveway. "Going to sleep now?"  
Mike put the car into park as he stopped in their usual spot, next to his parent's car. "Yeah. I've got day two tonight, and I think I'll need some extra sleep to prepare myself for whatever nonsense the animatronics will probably pull tonight."

Anna smiled as she went towards her car, as she had a university course to attend. "Alright, well I'll see you later then. Remember to stay safe, alright?" Mike returned her smile as he made his way up the front steps.

"I promise."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Yeah, I messed up the dates in the last chapter, oops. This is Mike's third night of the week, Wednesday. He's already done Monday and Tuesday, just imagine the lunch at the pizzeria with his sister happening on a Wednesday, not Tuesday as it says in the chapter. I do want to apologize for this chapter taking longer than I had hoped, I rewrote it because I wasn't happy with the initial product, and also cut out ~1000 words from it as it made the chapter feel a bit bloated, but it will likely be reworked into chapter 4. Also, thank you all for the positive reviews and follows, I really appreciate the feedback.**

Mike tapped his hand on the steering wheel of his car, waiting for a train to pass so he could get to work. Living close to the railroad tracks meant that his commute was often halted due to trains, and there wasn't much he could do about it other than leave a little bit earlier each night. He wasn't sure what the animatronics had in store for him tonight. They weren't going to kill him, Mike finally felt for sure that he was going to be safe, but there was an uncertainty of how the night would go. He wasn't sure if they would continue to torment him, trying to get into the security office, or if they would do their own thing. According to Tony, Chica helped by preparing the kitchen for the day ahead and was invaluable to the kitchen staff, and the others often cleaned the store at night.

Mike had yet to see them do any real cleaning, aside from when they tidied up the office after he had a fight with Golden Freddy, but he had heard Chica on countless occasions making a ruckus in the kitchen, loud enough to be heard from the security office. _She must be clumsy, to make that much noise. I guess my sister picked up on more than one trait from Chica. _Mike thought with a smile.

As the train finally passed, Mike resumed his commute, still with enough time to make it before he would be late to begin the night shift. He thought of the other animatronics. Foxy seemed to be the most aggressive of them all, he didn't seem to appreciate his joke as much as the other animatronics. Freddy seemed more open to communicating with Mike than them all, but kept his distance, and appeared to be either too cautious, or not very trusting of the security guard. Then there was Bonnie, who didn't seem to have made his stand clear. Him and Chica seemed the friendliest, but he'd still have to test the waters. I would be cool to finally learn how to play the guitar from Bonnie, or perhaps improve his lousy cooking skills from Chica.

Mike shook his head, as reality set back in him. _They're just animatronics. Robots. They aren't sentient nor is their AI advanced enough to communicate in a way that advanced, or convey emotions._ But then he thought of the fact that the animatronics effectively began a prank war with him, and he thought of how "human" Freddy was when he spoke to the security guard alone at the end of his shift the previous night.

Regardless, Mike decided that he should attempt to butter up to animatronics, to get on their good side. Stopping the robber the previous night from harming Bonnie would look good on him, but he felt Freddy and Foxy specifically needed a bit more persuasion.

_Tonight is going to be an interesting night._

* * *

As he made his way to the security office, Mike took note the animatronics were all on stage, and Foxy's curtains were closed. He entered the kitchen, and opened his bag, pulling out a small yellow gift bag, with Chica's name on a tag. Mike placed it on the center island of the kitchen in plane view, so that the chicken would not miss it. He let out a small laugh as he thought of the absurdity of the situation. While it was his sister's idea to get presents for the animatronics, he still felt it was a strange thing to do for robots.

Mike travelled to the backstage to deliver Bonnie's present next. He placed the purple bag with Bonnie's name on the main table, pushing some of the loose screws and wires out of the way. Mike shuddered as he looked around the room. Not only was it full of creepy empty costume heads, the spare endoskeleton sat lifeless along the back wall, moved the previous night by the animatronics in order to stuff him and later the robber into a Freddy suit, but it was also a complete mess. It was the one room in the pizzeria that needed the most cleaning done. Regardless, from his experience with the animatronics during his previous weeks, he knew that only Bonnie seemed to travel into the backstage room, which made it the best bet to put his gift.

Upon checking his phone, Mike saw that it was nearing midnight, he only had gifts for Bonnie and Chica, as they were the only two he had time to put together. After setting his bag in the employee drawer, Mike checked the cameras, noticing that Bonnie and Chica had moved from the stage, which wasn't unusual, since the bear normally was the last to leave. Foxy was still in Pirate's Cove, judging from the curtains still remaining closed and static.

Mike saw Bonnie enter the backstage, and watched with a smile as the bunny opened the gift left on the table. A smile spread on his face as he revealed the contents inside, a small guitar stand, new guitar picks, and a lightly-used can of guitar polish. The gifts were all leftover from when Mike's dad used to play the guitar as a teenager, he had sold his guitar years ago but still had the kickstand and several other accessories packed in a box. Mike asked if he could give them to a friend, and his dad forgot he even owned them, and gave his son the greenlight. Bonnie was clearly happy with his gift, holding it to his chest with a large smile.

Mike felt warm inside as he went to check on Chica, only to remember that the camera to the kitchen was disabled. He meant to ask his manager or Tony about that, but had forgotten. After leaving a note to himself, Mike quickly checked through the security cameras once more, spotting Bonnie and Freddy speaking to each other, the bunny placing his guitar on his new stand in the process of doing so. Mike had noticed that the bunny simply placed his guitar on the stage whenever he left it, there was no better place to leave it, making the kickstand a perfect gift.

Chica joined in on their conversation. Freddy didn't look happy, while Bonnie and Chica didn't hide their pleasure with their gifts. Freddy looked up at the camera, his eyes staring into the security guard's sole as the bunny and chicken continued their chatter. Mike felt a shutter go down his spine as the bear left the two animatronics without a word, making his way towards the security office. The bear stood at the right door, Mike didn't feel the need to close the door. Freddy did not seem aggressive, but he didn't appear to be pleased with his actions.

"You don't have to be afraid. I've talked to Bonnie and Chica, and we've decided that we'll leave you alone for now on." The bear said sternly. Mike nodded, glancing back at the security cameras, noticing that the two had moved the tables and chairs in the dining area, exposing the black and red checkered tiles that looked as though they could use a clean. "I have to speak to Foxy first, and I'm assuming he'll be alright with truce. Bonnie, Chica and I are going to give the dining area a deep clean. I'd advise you to stay in here; check the security cameras now and then. It is what you are being paid to do, after all. Oh, and if you want to relax a bit, you can detach the monitor from the computer stand, it essentially functions like a tablet device"

Freddy entered the office and demonstrated it for Mike, handing him the tablet. Mike's mind was running as he held the tablet in his hands. _Are these guys really just robots? What are they, how are they capable of being so emotive?_ While Mike did give them presents, he wasn't exactly expecting a response so human.

"Hey, Freddy?" Mike asked, as the bear was making his way out the door. He stopped and turned back to the security guard. "What are you guys? You're more than just robots, right? Even though it's 2020, I don't see how your AI could be this advanced, let alone 30 or 40 years ago."

Freddy frowned at the question, Mike could see that the bear was conflicted on what his answer would be. "You're right, there's more going with us. But I'm sure you'll learn the truth in due time." A smile returned to the bear's face. "Assuming we can guarantee that we can trust you." With that, the bear quickly slipped around the right door, and made his way back down the West Hall.

Mike though of the bear's words. _I knew it, they are more than they appear._ The bear didn't answer his question, but at least confirmed his suspicions. There was something going on here much bigger than he knew, and his curiosity only seemed to grow with each night he spent at the pizzeria. Turning back to the security cameras to scan them once more, Mike again saw Bonnie and Chica scrubbing the floors, Freddy joining them after bringing in additional supplies from the supply closet. Mike studied their facial features, noticing just how advanced they seemed, the animatronics appeared to be alive. _Even their facial features… What kind of technology was put into these guys?_

Mike pulled out a textbook, notebook and pencil, deciding that he might as well do some schoolwork while watching the security cameras, but struggled to maintain focus, the bear's words sticking to him. "_It is what you are being paid to do, after all." _Mike let out a light laugh. _I couldn't exactly do that while I was fearing for my life._

Just as he began to return to his note taking, Mike heard footsteps down the West Hall once again. Bonnie peaked through the window timidly, before moving to the open doorway to Mike's right. The bunny looked nervous, not standing tall nor meeting the security guard's eyes, but Mike knew that he meant no harm.

"Thank you very much for the gift Mike, I really appreciate it." Bonnie said quietly, looking down at the floor. Mike smiled, standing up from his schoolwork and approaching the bunny.

"Hey, not a problem. I figure I'd thank you guys for not actually killing me, and I felt it would start us off on good terms."

Bonnie took a step back as Mike approached. Mike noticed this and retained the distance between the two. "Sorry again about scaring you…"

"It's alright, I know now that it wasn't anything too serious." Bonnie paused, appearing to be in deep thought before continuing the conversation.

"We haven't received gifts, or even anything kind from humans in a very long time," Bonnie lamented.

"You guys don't really get taken care of much, huh?" Mike felt bad for the animatronics. Taking a closer look at the bunny, Mike noticed how smooth all his fur was, connecting in one large mass rather than being segmented. _Odd, I could have sworn that their suits were segmented with lots of exposed endoskeletons._

"No, that's one of the main reasons Freddy came up with the idea of scaring the security guards long ago, a way to get back at the humans who didn't seem to care for us. Foxy and Freddy take it more seriously than Chica and I though, Foxy has even harmed several humans in the process," Bonnie said, finally making eye contact with Mike.

Mike had noticed that out of all the animatronics, Foxy seemed to be the most aggressive towards him. "He doesn't like me, eh?"

Bonnie shook his head. "It's not necessarily just you, more so humans in general. He didn't seem impressed you survived this long without quitting. Also, I don't think he appreciated that he didn't get a gift."

Mike sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. _Yeah, I screwed that up. _While he could only get gifts for Bonnie and Chica in time for his shift tonight, it probably would have been better to have waited one more day so that all four of them could have something at once.

"Freddy wasn't that upset though. He was more happy that Chica and I were happy."

Mike smiled, he figured the bear wasn't upset already due to the words they exchanged earlier in the night. "Well, I'm glad that he's happy. I'll get something for him and Foxy for Thursday night, tomorrow."

"They'd appreciate that." The bunny turned down the West Hall, before returning his attention to Mike. "I've got to return to my cleaning. Thank you once again, Mike." Bonnie smiled at Mike, a blush showing on his cheeks, for the first time since they had started talking, before making his way back to the dining area.

Mike returned to his chair, and leaned back while looking at the ceiling. _Looks like I'm going to have to really suck up to Foxy_. Being in the pirate fox's bad books wasn't ideal. While he knew that Foxy wasn't going to murder him via Freddy suit, it wasn't good to keep grudges, especially with an animatronic with a hook sharper than any knife in the kitchen. _Why was his hook so sharp in the first place? Is that why he's "out of order?"_

Then Mike thought of Bonnie, the animatronic who seemed to be a bit less extroverted than the others. _His fur looked so real. And did Bonnie actually blush? How does a robot "blush?" _He shook his head. The night must be getting to him. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was only 12:16am, it was going to be a long night. As he attempted to return to his homework, he again thought of the purple bunny. _At least he enjoyed his gift_. Mike turned the camera to the dining area, where Bonnie was speaking to Freddy, who was continuing with the floor polishing, while Bonnie polished his guitar. A smile grew on his face, knowing that he did something good.

"He's really sweet, isn't he." Mike nearly jumped out of his chair, quickly turning to his right where the voice originated, finding Chica standing there. Her face went red. "Oh, sorry, we're supposed to stop scaring you.."

Mike regained his composure. "It's alright, it was an innocent mistake."

Chica stepped into the office, placing a hand on Mike's chair as she looked into the camera over his shoulder. "Bonnie really liked his gift. Mine was very sweet, I can't wait to start trying some more recipes. All I really know how to make is pizza and cupcakes."

"I'm glad to hear that, Chica. I'm getting gifts for Foxy and Freddy tomorrow."

"Yeah, Bonnie told me about it. Need any ideas?" The chicken said with a smile.

Mike had a plan for Foxy, but he honestly didn't know what to get Freddy, he knew little of the bear. "I guess I could use some help with Freddy's gift."

Chica looked excited at the prospect of being able to help. "Oh, I have the perfect idea! Freddy was telling us during the weekend that he wished that there were more movies in the lounge to watch, we've seen the three we have in there so many times that we can recite them word for word."

_Only three movies? For how many years? Also, these guys watch movies? _Mike had more questions than answers once again, but figured he'd focus on the matter at hand. He turned his chair to face Chica as he continued. "Freddy likes movies?"

"Yeah, we all do, but he enjoys them more than the rest of us." Chica responded, with a giddy smile. "Freddy likes getting us all together as a family to watch them. He always makes comments that he wishes he could go to the theatre and watch them, the children here always talk about the new ones coming out. They all sound so interesting!"

Mike smiled back at Chica. Despite the fact that they were robots, the animatronics truly are one big family. "Well, what movies do you have already?"

"We have Gone with the Wind, The Sound of Music, and the Wizard of Oz!"

Mike's jaw dropped. "Those movies are ancient, Chica, more than fifty years old! Do you even have a DVD player?"

Chica's smile dropped somewhat. "Yeah, but we don't have anything to use it with. We just use the VCR."

"That's crazy. You guys haven't even seen a Disney movie before." Mike couldn't believe that they were so out of the loop when it came to their media. "Well I hope Freddy doesn't mind, but I'm going to get you guys far more than just a couple movies. We have dozens lying around my house, since you can stream movies and TV shows online, we don't really use them. Think of it more as a family gift, for all of you."

Chica clapped her hands, holding them close to her chest. "Oh, that sounds great! Freddy would love that!"

"Excellent, thank you Chica, this is perfect." Mike grabbed his phone to start making a list in his notepad of movies he could give away. After asking his parents and sister, of course.

"Alright, I should get back to my chores, before Freddy comes and drags me." Chica said with a giggle, before stepping towards the door. "Feel free to join us if you want!"

Mike shook his head. "I'd love to but, I've got to focus on watching the cameras, I wouldn't be able to focus as well if I was cleaning or talking all night. Besides, I wanted to get some homework done first."

Chica didn't seem too upset. "Alright, I understand, see you around!" And with that, she was gone.

Mike wanted to get right back into his schoolwork, but he had to think about what just occurred first. Chica, just like Bonnie and Freddy seemed too lifelike to be robots. Their movements, emotions, pattern of speech, memory, and overall appearance was just too much for an old pizzeria like this. _What are they? They can't just be robots._ Once again Mike found himself with more to learn than before, despite all the developments made with the animatronics. Foxy was the one he still wasn't so sure about, he had yet to speak one on one with the fox. _I'll make sure he enjoys his gift, and then I'll talk to him on the side._

Mike looked through the cameras once more, Freddy, Bonnie and Chica were all cleaning in the dining again, while the curtains in Pirate Cove were open for once. After quickly searching through the security cameras, he found Foxy in the supply closet, placing a broom and dustpan back in their respective places. Foxy turned up to the security cameras, glaring through it back at Mike. He felt a chill go down his spine, he had to make amends with the fox quickly. Foxy left the closet and returned to Pirate Cove, shutting the curtains behind him. Mike sighed. _He's not going to make this easy for me_

Mike checked the cameras once more to guarantee that no one was coming down the halls to interrupt his schoolwork, and once he was satisfied, he returned to his schoolwork. _Perhaps this job wasn't so bad afterall._ Lots of colourful personalities, and he's essentially being paid to do homework and socialize. Even if Foxy has a hard time coming around, Mike still has the others.

_I should have applied here years ago._

* * *

As it grew closer to 6:00am, Mike was able to complete a large amount of schoolwork that had piled up over time. He only needed to check the cameras once every five to ten minutes, and Freddy had disabled the temporary limited power that Mike previously had to contend with during his previous nights. Freddy, Bonnie and Chica all kept cleaning in the dining area, having finished the floor fairly quickly, allowing Chica to focus in the kitchen while Bonnie and Freddy polished the stainless on the chairs and tables. Foxy only left Pirate Cove a few times to speak to the other animatronics, avoiding the security office. For the first time he felt that he was in a good position in the upcoming weeks, ready for whatever his classes would throw at him next.

The animatronics had left him alone throughout most of the night, Chica stopped by to greet him and make small talk, during which he learned that she was the one that left the cupcake on his desk the night he passed out after seeing Golden Freddy. She felt bad for Mike, and scolded the others for going too far, for which they agreed to settle down, aside from Foxy. Bonnie had also approached the office, peering in through the windows, but whenever Mike had noticed the bunny, he panicked and quickly returned to his chores. Freddy came by once around 3:00am to check on Mike, ensuring he was all good and that nothing out of the ordinary had been spotted on the security cameras.

The animatronics were certainly odd, but Mike was getting to know them well. Chica was very friendly and kind, and was also quite clumsy. She was perhaps the most social with Mike of all the animatronics. Bonnie hadn't spoken much to Mike, but was similarly friendly, if not timid. Freddy was clearly a family bear, the other animatronics all looked up to him as their leader, a position he deserved with his confident and warm personality. Mike hadn't spoken to Foxy yet, but from what he saw in his interactions with the others, the pirate fox had a tendency to be mischievous, and often took action before thinking. _Strange to think that at the start of the week, I thought they were all killers._

Mike packed up his schoolwork, the clock read 5:57, it was almost time to go. Checking the security cameras one last time, Mike noticed Bonnie and Chica travelling down the East Hall. Mike met them at the door before they could scare him.

"Is it already time for you to go?" Chica said sadly, while Bonnie stood to her side.

"Yup, it's that time already." Mike nodded back at the chicken.

Chica turned to Bonnie, making eye contact before returning her gaze to the security guard to continue. "Alright, I wanted to let you know that you don't have to worry about bringing anything to eat tomorrow, I'm going to try one of your recipes in that cookbook for you!"

An amused smile grew on Mike's face, as he rose an eyebrow at Chica. "Oh? Just like that, without the ingredients?"

"I left a note for Tony, asking him to pick up some items, and in return I'll do some extra cleaning for him in exchange for doing his work for two hours on Saturday, so that he can sleep in." Chica said, smiling at her plan.

Mike laughed and rubbed the back of his neck at her excitement. Most mornings Tony came in at 6:00am to begin in the kitchen for the day, the first person in the store during their six-day week, as the pizzeria was closed on Sundays. "Well, sure I'll try it. I don't see why not."

"Great! Freddy said you can even come in the kitchen and chat, as long as you aren't away from the office too long."

"Well, I look forward to it tomorrow." Mike then noticed that Bonnie hadn't said anything during their conversation, he was staring at the floor. "Did you also have something to say Bonnie?"

Bonnie's face went pink as he was called out, he stepped forward to face Mike but struggled to maintain eye contact. "Yeah, um, I wanted to say bye to you, and um… thanks again."

Mike smiled, giving Bonnie two thumbs-up. "You're very welcome, my purple friend. Or should I say pink friend?" He couldn't help but tease the poor bunny.

Bonnie's face went from pink to red as he pulled his long ears down over his head, turning and walking away quickly. Chica giggled as Bonnie disappeared down the hall. "The poor thing, he's been more shy than usual. What did you do with our bunny, Mike?"

Mike shook his head as he joined her laughter. "I don't know, I've hardly talked to the guy. Is he always like this."

"No, but I think we're learn what's up with him in due time." Chica said as she went towards to the door. "I'm going to join the others at the stage, see you tomorrow Mike"

Mike waved back to the chicken as she followed the flustered bunny towards the stage. Mike went to collect his things, deep in thought as he threw his backpack over his shoulders. _They can't be robots. They just can't. How can they be so real? Their chests even were moving as they breathed! And what is up with Bonnie?_ Mike shook his head as he made his way out of the security office, spotting Tony entering as he came in. He held a note in his hand.

"Good morning Mike, had fun last night?" The chef said as he looked around. "The place looks great, are they finally leaving you alone?"

"Yeah, they focus on their chores now while I just watch the cameras. I got through a ton of schoolwork."

Tony smiled as he turned his focus towards Mike. "That's good to hear. Just don't let Bruce know, he wouldn't like hearing that you weren't focusing 100% on the cameras."

Mike frowned as the manager was brought up. "I think that's pretty ridiculous. In any case, it's much better that the animatronics aren't out to kill me anymore, or so I thought. Have you read that note yet?"

Tony held the note up. "Yeah, Chica had a shopping list for me. Not the first time she's asked me to get some items for her, I don't mind. This job would be terrible without all the stuff she, let alone all the others do for us at night."

"Yeah, they care a lot about this place. I got Chica a cookbook to get on her good side, so she has all sorts of new recipes to try."

Tony chuckled as he stuffed the note in his pocket. "Oh dear, what have you gotten us into? She's going to spend all night in that kitchen now, there isn't a thing she loves more than cooking!"

Mike joined Tony's laughter as he glanced at the animatronics, who were all standing idle on the stage, not a sign of life to be seen. He stepped closer to Tony, not wanting the animatronics to hear. "Tony, are the animatronics _actually_ animatronics? They're simply too… real. I can't find it in me to believe that they are just advanced robots, especially with how old they are."

Tony's smile dropped a bit, but he forced it to remain. "There's more to them than that, I can tell you that. But it's not place to discuss that, they'll tell you when they are ready."

_So I am right. _Mike glanced once more at the animatronics, nothing had changed. _They're more than robots, so what are they? Should I ask Freddy tomorrow, or wait like Tony said until they are ready? _The chef interrupted Mike's thoughts as he walked past the security guard.

"Well, I'm going to get started with my work now, you should get some sleep, you seem like you have a lot to think about, kid. See you around." Tony said as he disappeared into the kitchen. Mike made his way to the front door of the pizzeria, feeling the exhaustion move in. All the craziness at the pizzeria on top of his schoolwork was draining him mentally, he couldn't wait to get to sleep in today. Thursday was the start of his time off of work, and he had already down all his schoolwork for the weekend.

Tomorrow was going to be another interesting night at work, he was interested to learn more of the animatronics, or whatever they were. Also he had Chica's cooking to look forward to, from what he heard she was a good cook. Not only that, but he promised that he would get a gift for Freddy and Foxy, and he had to figure our what Bonnie was up to. Mike shook his head as he unlocked his car door. _But first, I need to get some sleep_.

* * *

Mike stepped into his home quietly, locking the door behind him. It wasn't even 7:00 in the morning, his family would all be asleep. He entered the kitchen to drop off his dish from his dinner, placing it into the sink. Mike heard a noise, and turned around, seeing his father leaning against the counter opposite to his son. He held a cup of coffee, and was fully dressed, as if he had been up for some time now.

"Good morning, son. How was work?" He asked, his eyes not breaking contact with Mike's.

"It went well, as usual. I was able to complete a lot of homework tonight." Mike said nervously. He didn't know why he felt uneasy, he had made amends with his father. Regardless it seemed that his dad wasn't completely convinced that the pizzeria was all it seemed.

"You haven't been able to have done any on your previous shifts? What was different tonight?"

Mike was on the spot, he couldn't tell his father about the animatronics. But he also didn't want to lie to his father, he wasn't one to lie. Weighing out his options, he decided that he wasn't ready for his parents to know about the true nature of the animatronics. He hadn't even updated his sister yet, Anna was busy with school whenever he was home. She still believed that the animatronics were murderous, despite Tony's words.

"My manager gave me the greenlight to do so. B-Before I didn't have permission, and I-I didn't want to get in t-trouble with him." His father's expression didn't change from its neutral state.

"You hesitated, son."

Not even dealing with potentially killer animatronics could prepare Mike for his father's death stare. "I-I'm just… tired…"

"Is there something you aren't telling me?" Mike's father stepped away from the counter, closing the gap between Mike and himself.

"I'm alright dad, you d-don't have to worry." Mike was beginning to lose his composure as his father continued to drill into him.

"I didn't ask you if you were alright, but that's good to know. I asked if there was something you weren't telling me. Son, you know you can trust me right?" His father said as he stood in front of his son, not breaking eye contact.

"Tom? Dear, what are you doing awake this early" Mike felt a boulder fall off his shoulders as his mother entered the kitchen, a bathrobe covering his pajamas. She didn't look too impressed. "Good morning son, how was work?"

Mike attempted to give his mother a smile. "Y-yeah, it was fine. Sorry to wake you up."

"Oh no, I know it wasn't you making the ruckus." She turned to face her husband, with the soul-piercing stare that he had previously used on his son. "I'm sorry Mike, you should go to sleep now, you must be tired."

Mike had a bad feeling about what was to come, but his body won over. He passed by his parents without saying a word, making his way to his bedroom to rest. He didn't have school today, so he could sleep for a long time, he needed to catch up with his sleep.

Passing by his sister's bedroom, Mike noticed that the door was ajar. This was unusual, Anna was never awake before 9:00 if she could avoid it, going as far to only pick classes that started at 10:00 so that she could sleep. Anna was a very active person, which led her to sleep long hours, snoring loudly and unable to be awakened by even the loudest sounds.

"Anna? Everything alright?" Mike knocked lightly on the door, before pushing it open. His sister was sitting on the floor next to the door, her back against it. She had a glazed-over look in her eyes, as if she was in an entirely different place to that of her body. She turned to face Mike, and looked up at him.

"Mike, are you sure that everything is alright with you? It's really hard to see how it's affecting our parents."

Mike frowned, squatting down to meet his sister at eye level. "I'm sorry, Anna. I don't think I've been fair to you."

"It's alright. Seeing mom and dad argue isn't easy." Anna turned forward to face nothing in particular, likely deep in thought.

"They've been arguing?" Mike knew that his problems at work were forming a wedge between his parents. His mother was waiting for him to open up first, while his father seemed to want to pry the truth from his son.

"Yeah. You know they both care about you, a lot, right Mike? Even dad?"

"I know. Dad doesn't show it as well."

Anna turned to face Mike. "Mike, the animatronics are harmless, right? I know you told me what Tony said, you bought them gifts, and obviously you're still alive and here, but you are safe with them, right?" Mike could see the various emotions in his sister's face, she was distressed and upset, but concerned for her brother's safety.

"I promise. The only thing in that pizzeria that can hurt me, is another intruder. I doubt that they have a problem with that, that Fritz guy must have been a one-off situation. He had history with the pizzeria, after all."

"And the animatronics?"

"Oh, I've grown to know them, they are actually quite friendly. In fact, it's hard to tell that they are actually robots, I keep getting surprised by how real they look, act and talk." This seemed to allow Anna to relax. "Foxy doesn't seem fond of me, but I'm sure he'll turn around. And that Golden Freddy one, I haven't seen or heard from him since, from what Tony said, he's just as jovial as the rest."

A smile grew on Anna's face. "Strange, I wouldn't expect that out of them. Are you sure they aren't robots, that they aren't a bunch of furries in costumes?" She said with a giggle.

Mike also smiled at his sister, she was finally at ease. "That'd be a story for sure."

"I can picture the headlines now "Freddy's Furry Convention; The First Furry Restaurant in the World." She burst into laughter, Mike quickly joining in. This was the sister he knew, the one who could turn anything into a good joke, always turning a negative situation into a positive one. "Promise me this, Mike. Tomorrow when you go to lunch with mom and dad, tell them as much of the truth as possible. I know you don't want them to be involved with what's going on at the pizzeria, but it's for the best, for their peace of mind."

As much as Mike didn't want to, he knew that his sister was right, he had to open up. "Alright. I promise, I'll tell them."

"I'd like that. Thank you." Anna pulled Mike into a hug, which Mike tried to resist, but gave in. "You should go to bed, I'll tell them that you'll explain what's going at the pizzeria during your lunch tomorrow."

"Ok, that works. And you're right, I need to get some sleep." Mike yawned as he pulled away from his sister's hug, his exhaustion catching up to him. "See you later, Anna." He got up and made his way down the hall towards his room.

"You too, sleep well Mike."

* * *

In the kitchen, Mike's mother shook her head, as she turned her attention to her husband. She was not impressed with his actions, as they had previously agreed to let their son open up to them when he was ready. Not only that, she was woken up far earlier than she normally would be awake. "What was that about, dear?"

Tom did feel guilty for pressing into his son as much as he did, but at the same time, he knew he was hiding something. "You heard it all, didn't you?"

Sarah nodded. "You didn't notice that you woke me up, did you?"

"Look, I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have been so hard on him, but I know he's hiding something. His story doesn't add up, and I'm just looking out for our son's safety."

Sarah shook her head. "Tom, don't pull that card on me. I know you care about Micheal, but that wasn't the way to do it. The poor kid was exhausted, and since work is likely the cause of all his stress recently, it wasn't a good idea to corner him like that immediately once he came home."

Tom wanted to object, but he knew his wife was right. He had overstepped his boundaries, and needed to respect his son's wishes. "You're right Sarah, I'm sorry."

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to, but I'm glad you came through."

"Yeah. I'll talk to him when he's awake, if I'm home." Tom then pulled his wife into a hug. "I'm sorry that I acted this way, I really am."

"I understand, I forgive you, dear." The two continued to hug in silence for a moment longer, until Anna entered the kitchen.

"Oh, sorry, is this a bad time?" She said, pausing her movement.

Her mother and father pulled apart, his mother spoke up first. "Oh no, you're alright. What are you doing awake dear? We didn't wake you up, did we?"

"Yeah, but it's all good. I could always use the time to study while the house is quiet."

Her father frowned. "Oh, I'm sorry. I did get a bit carried away there."

Anna decided to move past the subject of the argument, wanting to speed up the conversation so she could get a cup of tea, and her mother could return to bed. "I spoke to Mike before he went to bed. He told me that he would tell you the full story tomorrow during your lunch at his work."

Both of her parents smiled. "Oh, that's wonderful! I'm glad he's willing to open up." Anna kept a straight face at her mother's words, knowing that Mike likely wouldn't tell his parents the _full _story. Her mother walked past the two. "I'm going to head back to sleep. I don't know if I'll be awake when you leave for work Tom, so have a good shift, love you. Anna, I'll see you later."

"Love you, Sarah."

"Have a good rest, mom."

After her mom left, Anna proceeded to grab the kettle out of a cupboard and began filling it with water. "Don't worry dad, Mike isn't too upset with you. He said he'll talk to you later today, either when you get home for work or before he leaves."

Her dad smiled, and walked over to Anna, placing his free hand on her shoulder. "What made you think I was worried?"

"I know how you're wired, dad."

He gave a fake sigh in return, which caused Anna to giggle. "Hey, do you want to watch something on the TV before I have to leave for work? I know you said you were going to do homework, so it's alright if you're too busy. I recorded a Star Trek rerun last night."

Anna smiled as she selected her favourite tea from the cupboard. "Yeah, that sounds nice."


	4. Chapter 4

**Just want to clarify one thing: Foxy is only out of order for a short period of time in this story. His body isn't damaged, he's in the same condition as Freddy, Bonnie and Chica. Also thank you all for the support, I really do appreciate it.**

Mike sat next to his parents at the dinner table. His mom had prepared meatloaf, which wasn't Mike's favourite, but he ate it anyway. His hunger usually won over his taste. Anna was out with her boyfriend Terry on a date. Mike hadn't met Terry much, as he and Anna had only been dating for around a month, but from the small conversations he's had with him or overheard, he could be a bit of a jerk. Mike had even mentioned it in passing to his sister, who brushed it off and said that he had to formally meet him to get a true picture of the man, but regardless Mike had his suspicion.

Mike had spoken to his father when he returned home from work, who once again apologized for taking it too far. Mike still wasn't very impressed with his father's continued attempts to pull All was good between the two, and his mother was happy to have most of the family together for a meal in peace.

"This is lovely, Sarah." His dad said with a mouthful.

His mom gave him a smirk, raising an eyebrow. "It's not always lovely?"

"You know what I mean, dear."

Mike smiled as he forced himself to eat his dinner. He enjoyed seeing his parents cooperating so well. They weren't the type of couple to argue about their own issues, rather they often butted heads when it came to other people's issues, as they dealt with problems very differently. His father was always direct and didn't like leaving problems unsolved, while his mother prefered to see if it would solve itself before intervening. Both ways had merit, but often they contradicted each other.

"So Mike, how is school getting along for you?" Mike's mother said, breaking the general peacefulness of the dining room.

"Not too bad, I suppose. My grades are improving, and I'm ahead of my schoolwork, so I guess I would even say quite well."

His dad reached over and lightly punched his shoulder.. "Hey, that's my boy! You know, have I ever told you that I had miserable grades in university?"

"You did? How did you get such a good job then?" Mike wasn't aware of that, he always believed that his father was a hard worker in school, as he worked very hard at his job now, and must have done something right to earn a well-paying career.

"I had to redo everything. I partied my first two years straight through, skipping classes, not doing homework or taking notes, etc." He responded after taking a sip of water.

Mike let out a light laugh. _My dad, a party animal? The last time he had fun was when he sprayed me with a hose during the Summer when I stole his sandals._ "Well, what made you change?"

His mother piped up. "I did."

"Yeah, I met your mom in the law program at my university. Believe it or not, she was also studying to become a lawyer. After speaking to some friends about her, I learned that she had the highest marks in the class, and I decided that if I was going to have a shot with her, I needed to impress her with marks." His father said with a smile. Mike's mother was originally going to become a lawyer, but after a few years she learned that it wasn't her career, and switched to teaching, and she became a quilter so she could work from home while raising her children.

"My roommate at the time had heard from a friend that he had his eyes on me, so I decided to take him up on this self-imposed challenge." Mike remembered that she had mentioned her old friend from school, Tiffany, several times before. "You should have seen his marks! He had passed mine, and even got 100% on the final exam at the end of the semester. You bet I said yes to that date when he asked."

His dad was still smiling as he cut his potatoes with a knife. "And the rest is history, son."

"The point of the story, at least what I take from it, is that you never know where life will take you. You may have this perfect plan in mind, such as how I wanted to become a lawyer, but due to circumstances I couldn't predict, I'm a stay-at-home quilter." She paused to take a quick sip of water. "And I couldn't be happier!"

His father caught his attention next. "You're studying to become a doctor, and I couldn't be more proud. But you never know where life will take you, so don't plant your roots too deep."

"I guess that's true." Mike said. His parents were right. While he was going along well with his goal of becoming a doctor, he hadn't thought about his long-term life. Mike didn't have a girlfriend, so he wasn't sure what a relationship would do to his plans. On top of that, he also was beginning to make some friends at work, both human and robotic, and would hate to have to say goodbye in the future. And with all the unanswered questions left for him at the pizzeria, Mike wasn't sure if the curiosity would ever leave him.

Speaking of the pizzeria, Mike remembered that he had to collect gifts for Freddy and Foxy for tonight. While Freddy would be understanding if Mike couldn't get it in time, Foxy just might break the truce set between him and the animatronics if he had to go another night unappreciated. Thankfully he had the perfect ideas for them, he just needed permission.

"Hey mom, do you still have that collection of stories I wrote a few years ago?" Mike had to take several literature courses in his first two years at university. Writing fiction was a fun hobby of his, and his course allowed him to delve further into it. The end product of his adventures was a collection of adventures he wrote, about a pirate and his crew. Going the extra mile he hand-wrote them all out, creating a scrap-book esque storybook. He received an A+ on the assignment, and just might have been his favourite course he'd ever taken. It would be the perfect book for Foxy, since he enjoyed telling his stories

"Yeah, I use it when I babysit for your cousins. Do you need it?" His mom replied.

"I want to give it to a friend, is that ok? I can always make a duplicate for you."

His mother smiled. "Well, it certainly sounds like a lovely gift, homemade ones are always far better than store-bought ones."

"Amen." His father said, with another mouthful.

"Also you know all those old DVDs we have in the closet? Can I take those?" Mike asked both his parents.

"What do you need them for, dear? I was going to sell them online on the cheap." His mother replied, a confused expression replacing the smile. "Are you also going to give these to this friend of yours?

Mike had to think quickly, in order to have a better reason to take them than his mother's. "I'm going to drop them off for charity on my way to work."

"Oh, well that's a lovely idea! I didn't expect to get much for them anyways." She said, satisfied. _Yes, she bought it! _While Mike hated lying, it was honestly the best answer he could give for now. Regardless, now he had permission to take the gifts for Freddy and Foxy. He couldn't wait to see the looks on their faces, their gifts were probably even better than Bonnie and Chica's, Freddy's could even be considered a gift to them all since he had almost 50 DVDS to give. Unlike the rest, his would probably have to be wrapped in a box.

Mike's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the phone ringing. His mother stood up to get it, she was essentially done with her meal. He listened in, and heard the familiar voice of one of his aunts, which meant his mom would be occupied for some time. His father was next to leave, as he had finished his food as well.

"Care to help me with the dishes, son?"

Mike stood up and began to collect the remaining dishes and food left on the table. "Sure, that sounds good," He said as he joined his father at the sink.

* * *

Mike struggled to open and close the door to the pizzeria. It had been raining, so he couldn't place the gifts on the ground, and they were quite large, making his journey from his car tenuous. It was going to be another good day at the pizzeria, he had gifts to give, and a meal to look forward to from Chica. After stepping into the dining area, everything was as it should be, animatronics standing idly on the stage, no one else in the building.

After placing the gifts on the table, Mike saw that it was only 11:38pm, he was early. The animatronics wouldn't awake from their sleep-like state for some time. He had left earlier than usual, not wanting to get stopped by another train.

Mike was beginning to make his way to the office to wait for his shift to start, when he had an idea. After digging through his bag, Mike withdrew several pieces of paper, a sharpie and some tape, writing in large letters "SLAP ME" on one side, before taping it to Freddy's back. He took another, this time writing "KISS ME", and placing it on Chica's back, and for Bonnie, he wrote "TICKLE ME". He decided not to make one for Foxy, as he didn't want to sour his mood before giving him his gift.

Once he was done and had put his supplies away, Mike stood back and smiled at his handiwork, grinning as he thought about how the animatronics would react. As he was beginning to make his way to the office for the second time, the lights suddenly cut out in the building. It was as dark as the office was when all the power ran out, Mike couldn't even see his hands in front of him, instead he walked into a chair, knocking it to the floor.

"What the heck? Is the power out?" Mike pulled out his phone to use the flashlight app. He didn't have the pizzeria's wifi, which meant the power was truly out. _That, or it's just as crappy as ever, you can't even watch videos on it_. The light of his flashlight app lit up the room, enough for him to get his bearings. He shined it back towards the show stage, revealing it to be empty. _What? Where did they go?_

His question was quickly answered as he felt something lightly slap his back. Mike stumbled, only to bump into something that felt furry upon contact. Mike turned his attention towards the source of the impact, seeing Freddy standing tall in front of him, his eyes glazed over black. Mike yelled and moved backwards to get away from the bear, who began to move towards the security guard, only to crash into a table, knocking the party hats, tablecloth and several chairs to the ground, breaking the table in the process. He heard a familiar scream, as he landed on top of another furry surface, this one immediately fought back.

"Ow, hey! Let me go!" Mike recognized Bonnie's voice, he must have fallen on top of the bunny. The lights went back on, revealing Bonnie on the floor, covered in party hats with several chairs and half a table on him. Mike had landed on his legs, which felt… warm? The bunny struggled to get himself free as Freddy came around the shocked security guard to help his friend.

"Heh, I guess we took that too far. Sorry kid. Can you help get this off of Bonnie" Freddy asked with a chuckle, as he began to lift the table. Chica entered the room from backstage, a grin leaving her face as she saw the bunny trapped under the furniture.

"You guys were supposed to scare Mike, not the other way around!" She yelled as she joined Freddy and Mike. Bonnie stood up and dusted himself off, while Freddy and Chica reorganized the party hats and chairs on and around the table.

Mike went up to Bonnie to make sure he was alright. "Sorry Bonnie, I didn't see you there… or the table."

Bonnie frowned and looked away. "It's ok Mike, we were the ones trying to scare you."

Chica came up to Mike, grabbed his hand, and… kissed it? Mike's hand was actually moist where her beak was, he quickly pulled away "Chica! What was that for?"

"I only did what you asked." She said with a smile.

Mike felt a soft slap to his back as Freddy came around him, a smirk on his face. Mike began to clue in on what was going on.

"Umm… do I have to tickle him?" Bonnie asked sheepishly, with a faint blush growing on his cheeks.

"Yes!"

"Chica, come on, he gets the joke by now." Freddy shook his head at the enthusiastic chicken.

"It was your idea!"

Mike laughed as he watched the animatronics argue, pulling the three notes off of his own back. They truly were alive, as far as robots could be. But then he remembered Chica's kiss. Mike looked back at his hand, the moisture was still there. _What even is this?_ He thought as he wiped it on his pants. He had to know, and decided that tonight he would ask them, after they had opened his presents. "Hey, can one of you get Foxy? I have something for him and Freddy."

Freddy's face lit up, as Chica excitedly went to retrieve Foxy from his cove. "For me? Mike, you didn't have to get me anything."

"No, I insist."

"He got me something really nice Freddy, I'm sure yours will be even better." Bonnie said with a smile.

"Well, I guess I can't say no." Freddy said, as he went over to where Mike left the presents, each of them grabbing a chair. Chica returned with Foxy in tow, the chicken sat on the edge of the stage while Foxy sat opposite to Mike.

"This better be good, Mike." Foxy said coldly. Mike chose not to let the fox get to him and Bonnie handed him the box with his name on it. "A gift? For me?"

"Go ahead and open it!" Chica prompted cheerfully.

Foxy used his hook to tear the wrapping paper off, revealing a large, brown book with the image of a treasure map on the front. "Tales from the Caribbean. What 'be this?" Foxy asked, his annoyance shifting to curiosity.

"I wrote it for one of my university courses. It's a collection of pirate tales, adventures and comedies from the Caribbean. I think you'll enjoy reading it to the children, I put some pretty unique stuff in there." Mike said with a smile.

Foxy opened the book, and flipped through it, careful not to rip the pages with his hook hand as he noticed all the detail and care put into it. "This is one beauty of a book, ye must've spent forever on it. How many stories be there?"

"There's over 100." Foxy's jaw dropped as he heard the number.

"Shiver me timbers, this be one nice book here, matey." Foxy said as he continued to scan through the book. Freddy and the others leaned in to look at the pages, admiring the work put into it. "When I'm back in order, I'll be sure to read this to them kiddies."

Chica clapped her hands and she passed Freddy his gift. "You next! Mike got you the biggest gift, Freddy!"

"Well, I'm flattered, thank you Mike!"

"Aye, ye haven't even opened it and yer already thanked him, captain!" Foxy said with a laugh.

Chica joined in. "That's our Freddy!"

Freddy removed the wrapping paper, revealing a cardboard box. The bear opened it, his eyes going wide. "Well, I'll be… DVDs! And dozens of them, too! Oh my goodness, this must have cost you a small fortune!"

Mike let out a laugh. "I got them for free, they're old and my family doesn't watch them. A little yellow birdie told me that you guys could use some new DVDs."

Freddy looked beyond happy with his gift, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy all joined the bear as they looked through the movies, picking out ones they were interested in. "Mike I can't thank you enough. This is the perfect gift."

Mike smiled as Freddy stood up from the group, approaching the security guard. "You're very welcome Freddy. I hope you all enjoy them."

"We all appreciate how much you've done for us, thank you for giving us another chance and sticking with us, kid. We haven't had a security guard like you in decades."

Mike rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Speaking of that, I do have a question for you, Freddy, if you don't mind."

"Oh? What might that be?"

Mike struggled to put the words together quickly. He finally had a chance to ask, Freddy was in a good mood and the others were occupied. "What are you guys really? You're not robots, I can tell that. You're too real. You don't act, speak or look like animatronics. You guys have full emotions, skills, and so much more. So what are you?"

Freddy's face paled slightly, the smile fading with the colour in his face. The bear appeared to be caught off-guard, lost in thought, no longer making eye contact with Mike. "I don't think that's important, Micheal. We don't need to worry about that."

Mike frowned, he is so close to knowing the truth, he couldn't let this opportunity slip away. "Come on Freddy, the truth can't be that bad. It'll be a secret between us, I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"No, no it's not that, I know you wouldn't tell anyone, I just… can't tell you. I'm sorry." Freddy shook his head.

He had to keep trying, he felt the urge to. "Ok… what if the others want to tell me?"

Freddy didn't seem to like that. "No, don't pull that card on me, Micheal. They have been forbidden to tell you. Believe me, it's for your own good," he answered, shaking his head.

"What is that bad that you can't tell me? Is someone else preventing you from telling me?"

Freddy opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted. "Look Freddy! So many of these are Disney movies that the kids always talk about, I've always wanted to see them!" Bonnie exclaimed, drawing their attention back to the others.

Freddy turned his attention back to Mike. "Micheal, the answer is no, and that is final. Please don't bring it up again. Now let's go back, and enjoy the rest of the evening."

Mike frowned at his defeat. He was so close to learning the truth, and yet, he felt so far away. _What could it be? Why can't Freddy, or the others, tell me? _Freddy was clearly not impressed by his attempts to press in. _Even worse, I think I damaged my relationship with Freddy_. Mike let out a sigh as he went to join the others, who were hold various movies out and discussing them. Foxy noticed Mike and approached him.

"Aye, I want to apologize to ye, matey. I haven't given ya a fair chance. Bonnie and Chica were right, ye be a good man after all, even if ya are a landlubber." Mike smiled at the fox's compliment, shaking his only hand.

"Thank you Foxy, I appreciate that."

Bonnie, along with Chica came up to the two, holding the Lion King in his hands. "Hey Mike, Foxy, we should go watch this one together! Every child who's mentioned it said they loved it." Mike smiled, and was about to agree to the bunny's request when Freddy interrupted.

"I'm afraid that Micheal has to keep a close eye on the security cameras. It's almost quarter past 12, so he best be on his way to the office." Freddy's tone did not leave any room for debate.

"Oh… well, maybe another time." Bonnie and Chica made their way towards the backstage, presumably on their way to the lounge. Mike felt sad as he noticed the bunny's ears drooped down, he wished he could join them. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Freddy was right, he did have to get his job done.

"Right, Foxy, it's your turn and mine for the chores tonight. I'll focus on the washroom, I need some time to think." Freddy said, as he made his way to the supply closet without another word, leaving Mike and Foxy alone.

"Is Freddy upset with ye, mate? Whenever the captain be upset, he always says he has to go off and "think" fer a bit. He even used yer full name." Foxy asked, seemingly reading the security guard's mind.

Mike sighed, turning to face the pirate fox. "Yeah, I asked him something personal. I guess it's best that I just do as he says and do my own job."

Foxy's mood turned more serious. "Alright matey. But don't ye worry, I'm sure he'll come around, sooner 'er later, after he "thinks" fer a bit. I'll see ye later, Mike." Mike didn't respond as Foxy turned his back to Mike, making his way back to his cove, with the book in hand. "Oh, and thank ye again fer this here book, I couldn't have asked fer a better gift," he said, turning slightly back to Mike, waving with his free hand.

Mike waved back, a blank expression on his face. "You're very welcome, Foxy." He sighed as he turned and made his way back to the office. _Well, I'm in Foxy's good books, but Freddy seems to dislike me now. I need to find a way to get back to him, and maybe he might tell me what he refused to say… just maybe._ Mike went down the East Hall, choosing to avoid the bear for now, as he was in the supply closet.

After dropping his items into the employee drawer, Mike began to scan through the security cameras, nothing out of the ordinary. Freddy and Foxy were beginning to do cleaning, Foxy in his cove and Freddy in the washrooms, and Bonnie and Chica were off-camera, likely still in the lounge. _Oh yeah, Chica promised me she would cook something for me… I'm curious to see what she chose to make first out of that recipe book._

He learned back in his chair, smiling as he thought about them. The animatronics, or whatever they are, are one big, happy family. From their antics with one another, to their loyalty and trust, they reminded Mike of his own family. He was glad for them, that he was able to be a ray of hope for them, and perhaps they would open up to him and tell him the truth about their existence. Regardless, he had a lot to look forward to.

* * *

Freddy grunted as he struggled to scrape gum off of a stall door. After his argument with Mike, he needed some time to cool down and think. _He is getting too close to finding out. I want to tell him, but I can't._ He was frustrated at his inability to be in charge in this situation. _It wasn't my idea to keep it a secret._ After a long fight, the gum flew off across the floor.

"Darn… I'll get it later when I sweep and mop this place," the bear said out loud to no one in particular. It always frustrated Freddy that the janitors didn't clean the washrooms better. Not that he didn't mind cleaning it, the others didn't tend to go here at night, it was his place where he could be alone. Chica had her kitchen, Bonnie had the backstage or supply closet, Foxy had his cove. Freddy's ears perked up as he heard a noise behind him, in the main area of the washrooms. He stepped out of the stall he was working, a large but familiar golden bear was waiting for him.

"Goldie, what do you need?" Freddy asked. Golden Freddy didn't tend to come out from his own space unless he needed something from Freddy or the others, although he only really talked to Freddy these days.

"I need to talk to you. You almost spilled to that security guard there." Golden Freddy said, glaring back at his brown counterpart. "You remember our deal, don't you?"

Freddy frowned. Whenever Golden Freddy reminded him of the terrible choice he made decades ago, he felt back for signing his freedom away. "Yes, I do. I wasn't going to tell Mike, but it's getting harder to keep the secret. It's not exactly easy to hide, especially with the others."

"Then he needs to stay in his office. Don't let the others come and see him, don't let him leave until 6:00am when his shift ends."

Freddy nodded. "I know, I've been trying to do so, but it's hard. He gets along very well with the others, and I'm very fond of him myself."

"You're getting soft. I thought you were stronger than that, Freddy."

The brown bear frowned at his words. "Don't pull that card on me, Goldie… Look, eventually he's bound to find out. Whether it be from the others, one of the humans -"

"The humans know not to. I made sure of that!" Golden Freddy snarled, cutting off Freddy.

"Right… Well, I'll make sure he stays in his office, but he's going to find out, and probably quite soon, if tonight was an example of how it will go from here."

Golden Freddy shook his head. "Forbid the others from seeing him. We can stop him, you just need to try harder. Don't let him know, or else you know what will happen."

Freddy hung his head in shame, at his defeat. "Alright, I understand Goldie." Golden Freddy walked out of the washrooms, leaving Freddy alone. The bear looked at himself in the mirror, frowning at what he saw back. _Goldie is right, I've become weak. I need to try harder._ He thought of Mike. _He doesn't deserve to be involved with this, but it's too late now, I guess. I need to put my foot down, if not for our safety, then his own._ Freddy composed himself and made his way out of the washrooms, towards the security office.

* * *

Mike continued to scan through the security cameras, out of boredom. He hadn't brought any homework or textbooks to study with, nor could he talk with the animatronics, so all he had left was his phone, which was running low on battery. It was only 1:35am, he was hardly a quarter through the night.

None of the animatronics had come by to see him, Foxy was doing some cleaning while Bonnie, Chica and Freddy remained unseen. _At least the animatronics turned off the backup power supply, so I don't have to worry about the lights going out. _Mike remembered that Chica had mentioned to him that they switched to backup power in order to scare the security guard when he ran out of power.

Speaking of the chicken, Mike noticed that she was travelling down the East Hall, wearing the apron he had gifted her along with the cookbook; she was carrying something in her hands. He barely had time to react when he saw Chica enter, holding a plate in one hand. "Hey there, Mike, I have something for you!" She said excitedly, placing the plate on the little spare space on the desk. Mike's jaw dropped at the meal in front of him. There was roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, boiled vegetables, and what looked like a homemade dinner roll.

"You made all this, Chica? Your first time cooking something that doesn't have tomato sauce in it?"

Chica's smile only grew bigger. "Cupcakes don't have pizza sauce! Go ahead and try it, Mike!"

Mike was more than happy to do so, but stopped as he realized the chicken hadn't brought any cutlery with her. "I'd love to, but I need a fork and knife."

Chica frowned. "Oh, right, but can't you eat with your hands? We use our hands with pizza and cupcakes!"

"Heh, this is a lot more than just pizza. I don't want to make a mess on the counter, or on myself. You guys have utensils, right?"

"Yeah, I guess I could get you some from the kitchen. Just wait here, Mike!" Before Mike could reply, she ran out the right door. Mike shook his head as he turned his attention back to his food, the food looked and smelled delicious; he couldn't wait to try it.

* * *

Freddy walked down the East Hall, towards the security office. He wasn't looking forward to it, but he had to tell Mike that he wasn't allowed to speak to the animatronics anymore. It was for his own good. _He'll find out eventually. _His own words echoed in his head, forcing him to stop, but he pushed himself to keep going. _Golden Freddy wasn't usually wrong, this was no different._

Freddy ran into Chica as she quickly ran out of the security office, both of them stumbling backwards.

"Oh, sorry Freddy, I didn't see you there," Chica said apologetically, adjusting her bib back into place.

Freddy regained his composure. "It's alright, it was an accident. Why are you in such a hurry?"

This brought a smile back to the chicken's face. "I made Mike a recipe from the book he gave me. I just dropped it off for him to eat, but forgot to get a fork and knife to eat with."

Freddy smiled back at the chicken, she was always kind like that, going out of her way to do things for others with little to earn back in return. Bonnie was the same, but Freddy frowned as he remembered his purpose of visiting the security office. "Chica, I'm afraid that you can't really go and see him. I can get the utensils for him, its best if I do so."

Chica frowned at the bear's words. "Why not? Mike is super nice, I want to know if he enjoyed the meal I made him."

"He has a job to do, and we'd be getting in his way. It's for the best." Chica looked away from Freddy, breaking eye contact. It hurt Freddy to lie to his friend, but he was doing what was right. _I am, right?_ Freddy shook the doubt out of his mind.

"Are you sure Freddy? We finally have a security guard who's nice and sweet to us, I don't want to ignore him." Chica replied.

"Please don't make this more difficult Chica, just do as I say. I'll take the utensils to him."

A tear fell down the chicken's cheek. "Ok… can you at least tell me if he likes it after he tries it?"

Freddy felt his heart shatter. "Yes, I will." Chica walked away without saying a word, Freddy followed slowly after, both of them went into the kitchen. Chica showed Freddy where the utensils were kept, not a word being exchanged between the two. As he left, he turned back to Chica, who was still wearing the apron Mike had made him, and was looking at the cookbook sadly. He wanted to say something to her to make her feel better, but couldn't find the words to do so.

Freddy left and swiftly walked down the East Hall once more, heading straight into the security office. He wasn't looking forward to this conversation. Mike was looking down at the food Chica had prepared when the bear entered, quickly drawing his attention away from the meal. Freddy held the utensils out to Mike without a word. The security guard took them, a confused look on his face.

"I thought Chica was getting them? Thanks anyways, Freddy." Freddy nodded in response, as he struggled to put the words together to reply. Golden Freddy's words returned to him. _You're getting soft. _Freddy had to prove him wrong, that he wasn't the weakling the golden bear thought he was.

"Micheal, I'm afraid that Chica, and the others can't see you anymore. You are forbidden to speak to them."

Mike dropped his fork on his plate, he was about to get his first bite when the bear spoke. "What? Why not, Freddy?"

"You have a job to do. You need to stay here, look at the cameras. You can do homework or whatever, as long as you don't speak to the others or leave, until your shift is done." Freddy told the security guard sternly. Mike didn't look as though he was happy with that answer.

"Freddy, I can do my job and have fun with you guys. I'm sorry that I argued with you earlier, I just was curious."

Freddy shook his head. "It's a distraction. We can't risk another break in, like what happened with Fritz. It's for the best, Micheal."

Mike frowned back at the bear, appearing to be lost in thought. Freddy felt awful for speaking this way to Mike, but he had to do it for everyone's safety. "But what about if they come to me, and want to talk, Freddy? Even if I stay in the office?"

"I have spoken to them, at least to Chica so far. They others will know, they won't come and see you. You are to stay here, and that's final. Do you understand?" Freddy struggled to get the last bit out, raising his voice as he did so. He just wanted to end this so he could step away.

Mike looked back down at his food, not meeting the bear's eyes. "Yes sir."

"Good. Leave your plate there, I'll collect it when you leave." Freddy turned and left quickly. His heart was racing, it had been a long time since he had to raise his voice at someone, let alone someone he cared about. Golden Freddy had to be right, this was for the best.

Freddy stepped into the dining area, and noticed that they had yet to fully clean up the mess from before, when he and Bonnie tried to scare Mike, only for the security guard to knock a table onto the purple bunny. Freddy looked down and noticed some paper on the ground. He picked them up to inspect them, and saw that they were the notes Mike had initially placed on his, Bonnie and Chica's backs, only for the joke to be turned on him. A tear rolled down his cheek. _He got along so well with the others, almost like family. Is what I'm doing truly right?_

Freddy dropped the papers and made his way to the washrooms, to continue his cleaning. He couldn't let the others see him like this. He hadn't spoken to Foxy or Bonnie yet, but he needed to compose himself first. Besides, if Mike understood what Freddy had said earlier, he'd tell them that he couldn't speak to them anymore. The sadness that he saw in Chica's face would only spread to Bonnie, and even Foxy when they would inevitably learn that they were no longer permitted to speak to Mike. Freddy slumped down against the bathroom wall, the tears falling as he no longer felt that he could hold back anymore. He heard Golden Freddy's words once more in his head.

_You're getting soft, Freddy._

Freddy forced himself up. After using a paper towel to dry his face, he left the washroom to speak to Bonnie and then Foxy.

* * *

Mike struggled to eat the meal Chica had left him. It was very well done, especially for it being something entirely new for her, but Mike's mind was occupied. He was beginning to really like Freddy, he was kind, polite, and a perfect leader for the animatronics. But tonight something was off with him, from the argument they had after Mike had asked Freddy about their true nature, to the bear barring him from speaking to the animatronics. Something had changed with him.

_What is so secret about what they really are, that Freddy can't tell me?_ Freddy clearly wasn't going to budge, Mike had picked up on the bear's stubbornness over time. A voice popped up in his head. _What about the others? I could ask Bonnie, Chica or Foxy. One of them might tell me. _Mike considered it, but he figured it was best just to do what the bear had asked. It wasn't easy, Mike had become close to the animatronics in the few short days that he had interacted with them.

After taking one last bite, finishing as much of Chica's dish as he could, Mike dropped his fork and spun himself slowly in the office chair, as he continued to debate with himself. _I think if I just give Freddy some time, maybe he'll open back up to me._ Mike noticed two magenta eyes peering at him through the glass next to the door to his left. A familiar face looked back at him.

Bonnie looked as though he was about to run, but after hesitating he stepped into the office. Mike had become used to the bunny's timidness, not bothered his lack of eye contact or closed posture. Mike couldn't help but smile at the bunny. "Hey Mike… Umm, I wanted to thank you again for getting the movies. I know that they are Freddy's gift, but Chica and I started watching one already…"

"Oh, it was the least I could do. You're very welcome." His smile quickly dropped as he remembered the bear's words. _You are forbidden to speak to them. _"Bonnie, I'm afraid that I have to return to my work, I shouldn't really be talking to you or the others." He didn't want to hurt the bunny's feelings by informing him that Freddy had changed the rules.

"Yeah, Freddy told me, but I wanted to speak to you anyways… I was originally going to ask if you wanted to join Chica and I in the lounge, but I guess that's a no." The bunny's ears dropped in disappointment.

Mike forced his smile back in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Hey, I'm sure he'll turn around soon. I may not know you guys very well, but it seems like he had a bad day or something."

"He hasn't been this upset in a while. Normally Freddy talks to me when he's upset, but he wouldn't even open up when I asked… Do you think I did something to upset him?"

"No, that's silly Bonnie. If it was anyone, it was me."

"I guess you're right…" Bonnie turned to face the security guard, looking more serious than before. "Mike, what were you talking to Freddy about earlier today, when he first became upset at you? I was going to ask Freddy, but I don't think he would tell me if I asked him."

Mike tensed up. _Should I ask him? He's got to know, and he would be much more open than the others, aside from Chica. _Then the more rational side of him spoke up. _Freddy already is pretty upset with me, if Bonnie told me and Freddy found it, it could send him over the edge._ He sighed, he would have to lie to the bunny.

"It wasn't anything too important, Bonnie. Don't worry too much about it."

Bonnie didn't appear to buy his response. "Oh, please Mike! I promise I won't tell Freddy, or anyone else, you can trust me! Freddy trusts me with his secrets, so does Chica!"

Mike let out another sigh, the stress was beginning to get to him, but he had to remain firm. "I'm sorry Bonnie, I don't want to rock the boat anymore. Maybe I'll tell you another time, but I think for now it's best to just leave it."

Bonnie's ears dropped back down once more. "Alright, I understand…" The bunny turned to leave, but Mike interrupted him before he left.

"Hey Bonnie, I appreciate your offer, I really do, I'll take you up on it eventually. I promise that to you. Also, when this all clears up, I'll be sure to set some time aside so we can watch a movie together," Mike said with a smile. Bonnie's face lit back up.

"That would be great, Mike!" The bunny turned and glanced down the hall. "Oh, but I should get going, I don't want Freddy to catch us talking… I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, you will, but just make sure Freddy doesn't catch you. I'll see you around, Bonnie." The bunny left the security office, a smile on his face. Mike felt good that at least someone was left in a good mood as a result of tonight.

Mike took the time to glance through the security cameras, and besides Bonnie returning to the lounge, none of the others were visible. He was scrolling through the feeds quickly when he saw that one of the video feeds was obscured by a familiar face. Golden Freddy's face filled up the restroom camera image, his dark eyes glaring back at Mike. He only saw the bear for a second before accidently clicking on another camera feed, and upon returning to the restroom camera the bear was gone.

Mike felt a shiver as he thought about the golden bear. _That's twice now that I've seen him. Who is he?_ It wasn't like he could ask Freddy, as Mike wasn't in the bear's good books at the moment. It would have to wait, along with a lot of other questions until he made amends with the bear. Mike glanced at the clock on his desk, it was just past 2:00am. He still had most of the night to go yet.

* * *

Mike took a deep breath as he exited his parent's car. They had just arrived at the pizzeria, for the lunch that he had agreed to have with his parents. Anna tagged along too, she was free. Mike didn't feel the need for her to go, especially since she had already been this week, but she won her brother over when she said she would back him up if his parents threw a fit.

The previous night was very slow, no one had stopped by his office after Bonnie left, and he rarely saw them on the security cameras. Freddy returned just before 6:00am and retrieved the plate, not saying a word to the security guard. Mike followed suit and quickly left, before Tony arrived. He felt bad for the others, they didn't deserve to feel left out due to Freddy's new rule, but there wasn't much Mike could do.

"Well, it looks about the same as I remember," Mike's father commented, standing in front of the main doors.

"It does look a bit run down." His mother frowned as she noticed the poorly maintained planters along the windows of the front reception area.

Anna shook her head at her parents. "Come on, don't judge a book by its cover. This place is great, right Mike?"

"Yeah, right." He hadn't been paying the most attention to his family. He took a moment to check his phone. It was 12:20, the pizzeria would be in the middle of the lunch rush. Mike followed the rest of his family inside the restaurant, where a different lady then he had me earlier in the week led them to their table. It was close to where Mike and Anna sat previously, both along the back wall, far from the other animatronics.

Mike made eye contact with them each once again. He noticed that Bonnie and Chica both smiled back, while Freddy's expression remained the same, as the three continued to sing a cheesy song about pizza. _I guess Freddy is still upset at me, or whatever has him in a bad mood._

Tony once again came to take Mike's order, smiling as he recognized the night guard. "Hey Mike, nice seeing you again, how are you?"

"I'm doing well Tony, these are my parents." He gestured towards his mother and father who sat opposite to him and Anna. "Mom, dad, this is Tony, the head chief of the kitchen."

They smiled at him, shaking his hand. "Pleasure to meet you," his mom said in her usual friendly voice.

"Can I get you something to drink?"

"Yeah, I'll have a water, my husband will take a Pepsi."

Tony shook his head, looking slightly annoyed. "We only have Coke, is that alright?"

"Sure," Mike's father responded, as Tony shifted his attention to Mike and Anna to take their orders.

"We'll just do waters," Anna answered for Mike. Mike frowned as he turned to face his sister.

"I wanted a Pepsi…"

"They only have Coke, Micheal." His mother responded, as Tony had already left.

Mike shook his head as he opened the menu. "Right have you guys decided on something? The menu is far larger than you may think, it isn't just pizza. Although, I do recommend the Fazbear Deluxe."

"My, what a menu. They even have fettuccine alfredo."

"Only our mom would order that at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza," Anna said with a snark laugh, her brother joining in.

"It hurts being the only one with a pasta palette that goes farther than differing types of pizza." Their mother replied, joining in on their joke, her tone dripping with sarcasm. They all shared a laugh as Tony returned and took their order. As they began to wait for their food to be prepared, Mike's father cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention towards him.

"Mike, I think now would be a good time to open up. Your mother and I not only saw that you were very stressed out about work during your first two weeks, but this week you're back to your old self. What has been bothering you?"

Mike frowned, he knew this was coming. He wanted to lie to his father, but he had been doing so too much the past week, and he felt as though he needed to open up. "It turns out that the animatronics are more real than it appears. At night, they wander the pizzeria and do cleaning and such. There were a bunch of voicemails left for me in the office that suggested that they would stuff me into a spare Freddy suit if they caught me, thinking that I was an endoskeleton without a costume. So, whenever they would come near my office, I'd slam the door shut, fearing for my life…" Mike trailed off as his parent's shocked faces caught him off-guard.

"Oh my goodness Mike, why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"You mean to say that the animatronics there are killers at night?" His father was not impressed.

Mike quickly started to do some damage control. "No, no I only thought they were! It turns out they only wanted to talk. They don't really get any other company aside from each other, they aren't allowed off the stage during the day."

"Then why would you think they were dangerous then? I mean, what if the voicemails didn't really mean anything?" His mother inquired.

"That's my point - I only thought they were going to kill me. While they did just want to talk, they started to enjoy scaring me, since they thought that they were never going to get a word in with me."

His mother seemed a bit more relaxed, but his father's confused facial expression meant that his cross-examination was just beginning. "So you're saying that those robots are basically alive?"

Mike had the same question himself, but couldn't leave it unanswered for his father. "They just have very complex AI. But the important take-away here is that I'm fine. The animatronics leave me alone now, I can do schoolwork or read in the office while checking the security cameras. In fact, they even check on me to make sure I'm alright."

Surprisingly his father seemed to be satisfied with his answer, and any other questions were obscured by their food arriving. After thanking Tony, his father spoke up again. "Well, I still don't quite understand, but I guess since you're alright son, it's fine."

"Just promise us that if you need someone to talk to, or find yourself in a situation like that, you'll talk to us. We care about you, son," his mother added.

Mike nodded towards his parents. "I know, thank you guys, I appreciate it."

"Thank you for finally telling us," his mother concluded.

As his parents began to eat, Mike turned to Anna, who had been listening the whole time. She gave Mike a knowing look. He felt bad, he didn't tell them the whole truth. But if they knew about everything, such as the time Golden Freddy scared him so bad he passed out, or that someone broke in and could have hurt or killed him, he would have been forced to quit by his parents. While he had a bridge to rebuild with Freddy, the others were still becoming good friends of his despite the new lack of communication. Mike knew his parents were only looking after his own wellbeing and had good intentions, but he was glad he stook with his gut. He wouldn't have made all these great friends otherwise.

Mike smiled as he began to eat, glancing back at the animatronics. Bonnie was the only one to return his gaze, smiling back once again. He joined his family as they partook in the meal, thankful that the dreaded talk was in the past. Now he only had to worry about the animatronics, or whatever they were, and their secrets.


	5. Chapter 5

Mike walked down the empty West Hall in the pizzeria, surrounded by darkness. The power was out at the pizzeria, at least that's what was apparent, and Mike's phone was dead, leaving him alone to face the lack of light prompted him to be extra cautious, as to not injure himself. The silence surrounding the security guard was only broken by his faint breathing, as he tried to listen out into the emptiness around him for another sign of life. Without any other option other than to turn back to the security office, he proceeded forward down the dark hall. The backstage was his target, the basement access was located there, holding the generator reset within.

Upon reaching the entrance to the dining area, Mike was immediately met with a wall rather than a doorway. A single poster of Freddy Fazbear was tacked to it, leaving it noticeably less cluttered than the walls he was used to, covered in children's drawings, wires, and other party-themed decorations. A closer examination of the poster led Mike to notice the lack of text on the poster. Most character posters around the pizzeria were thinly veiled advertisements for the restaurant and its titular characters, but this one only featured the bear himself, looking ominous back at whoever took notice.

After spending a moment longer to check any potential hole or crack in the wall that might allow him to pass through to the dining area towards his destination, Mike gave up and decided to try the other hallways that led from the security office to the dining area. Rather than a return path, Mike was blocked off by another wall, as solid as the one now behind him. Just like its partner wall it only had a Freddy poster on it, his gaze piercing into the security guard.

Mike began to panic, and whipped around to face the first wall, only to see that the poster had changed to that of Golden Freddy. The golden bear's empty eyes dug even deeper into his own, with one paw reaching out as if it could pull the security guard into the picture with him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, as Mike heard shuffling behind him, prompting him to turn around once again. The second wall, along with the Freddy Fazbear poster that previously haunted him. Instead something much worse took its place, Golden Freddy himself sat on the floor, empty eyes and all. His jaw was slumped down, as if he was grinning back at Mike. He heard a garbled, deep voice emanate from the golden bear animatronic, without any movement of his mouth.

"...zzzzzzzzz's… ...zzzzz… ...eeeee…"

Mike shook his head as he stepped backward, struggling to keep his balance as his body shook with fear. He felt himself walk into the wall, trapping himself with Golden Freddy blocking his only escape route. The static garble began to clear up a bit, allowing Mike to understand what it was saying.

"zzzzzzz...It's…. Me… zzzzzzzzzzz…"

The bear continued to be immobile as the static continued to play, with the same message being repeated. Mike slid down the wall as he felt his strength drain away.

"It's me… zzzzzzz… It's me… zzz…. It's me…"

Golden Freddy began to shake and vibrate, as the message began to garble once again, playing at a faster rate. Mike shuffled into the corner, and pulled his knees close for protection.

"It's me. It's me. It's me. It's me."

Mike tried to cover his ears, shoving his face into his knees as he tried to block out what the bear was saying to him. Through the crack between his legs he could see Golden Freddy stand up, shaking sporadically and uncontrollably, as if it was possessed. Mike desperately tried to shuffle further into the corner, trying his hardest to ignore the bear, as it began to slowly walk towards the security guard.

Two cold paws grabbed Mike's legs and spread them apart, causing him to wince in pain, as they were pushed in an awkward angle. He had little time to check if his legs were alright, as the golden bear bent down and looked him right in his eyes. Mike's aqua green eyes met Golden Freddy's empty eye sockets. His ears began to ring loudly as Golden Freddy let out the loudest scream he had ever heard, a mix of a mechanical buzz and the growl of a bear. Mike struggled to break free, attempting to punch and push, but the golden bear held him firmly in place, with his own face near centimeters from the bear's.

Suddenly Golden Freddy was flung to the side, hitting the wall next to Mike, who began to violently punch and kick the bear as he struggled to sit back up. The world around him began to light up, and Mike began to feel very disoriented as his vision blurred. As it cleared up Mike found himself in his bed, his large yellow pillow was thrown across the room, his quilt and bed sheets in disary. Reality sat in as Mike took a moment to calm himself down, his heart rate had yet to catch up with the changing reality around him. _That was just a dream?_

Mike heard his bedroom door open, his sister Anna popped her head in. She had a concerned look on her face, which only grew worse as she scanned his bedroom, taking note of the pillow opposite of where it should be and the state of Mike's bed. Thankfully he was wearing pajamas, as the weather was colder than usual for the time of year, otherwise his sister would have seen something she would rather not.

"Is everything alright, Mike? You almost gave me a heart attack, I forgot you were home."

"I'm fine, I just had a bad dream."Mike rubbed his temples as he attempted to force the remaining drowsiness out of his body. "Are mom and dad home?"

"No, they're out buying groceries." The concerned look didn't leave his sister, as she stepped into the room and sat at the end of Mike's bed. "I thought you stopped having nightmares, ever since work became more… relaxed?"

Mike frowned as he couldn't maintain eye contact with his sister. Mike knew for sure that the four animatronics weren't hostile to him, aside from Freddy they were all very friendly to him. The only wild card was Golden Freddy, whether he was a fifth animatronic, a ghost, or whatever else he could be eluded Mike.

Still, he wasn't sure if he should tell his sister. Anna was very concerned with her brother's safety when he was under the impression that the animatronics were out for his blood, to the point that she had been losing sleep and made an effort to keep in contact with Mike as best she could during his shift. Once again, he had more questions than answers, and bringing Anna into the equation would only add more variables, but in the end it was probably best to confide in at least one person.

"I had a nightmare that I was attacked by a fifth animatronic from the pizzeria. Not Freddy, Bonnie or Chica, not even Foxy, but one called Golden Freddy. He looks just like Freddy Fazbear, but he's all golden, and doesn't have any eyes? In the dream, I was alone in the pizzeria with the lights out, and he trapped me at the end of a hall and just kept saying "it's me," and then he just attacked me." His sister's face shifted from concerned to confused during her brother's rant.

"Another animatronic? Have you seen it anywhere in the pizzeria?" Mike shook his head. While he hadn't been able to finely comb the entirety of the pizzeria, he was fairly sure that there wasn't a fifth animatronic around. Tony had informed him earlier in the week that Golden Freddy was kept somewhere in the pizzeria, but he yet spot him. One of the others would have mentioned it by now, and the manager probably would have as well. Then again the manager wasn't the most competent of individuals. His manager was another wild card, Mike hadn't even taken the time to consider what he might know, about the animatronics and their past. Anna broke up his thoughts as she spoke up again. "You should ask Freddy, he would likely know. From what you said he's the brains of the group."

Mike didn't respond immediately, as he had not informed her of Freddy's new rule. He didn't exactly have the time, while his classes were at the start of the week, her's were at the end, and they had been preoccupied by their parent's and their concerns and questions. Regardless he still agreed that he should try to be more diplomatic with the bear. "Yeah, I guess I should. Wouldn't hurt to ask."

"Right, and even better, I bet we can do some research on this golden bear furry guy. I'm sure there's something online about him." Mike smiled at his sister, she had a knack for research and digging up the truth. _If anyone can find anything on Golden Freddy, it's her_.

Mike was about to speak when he was interrupted by his phone ringing. It was from an unknown number, but the area code matched their location, so he answered. His sister left the room to allow him to focus on the call, while a somewhat familiar voice greeted him at the other end.

"Hello, hello, is this Mike? This is Jeremey from the pizzeria, uh, from the pizzeria? Hello? Is this thing working?"

Mike snorted as he listened to his coworker ramble on the other end. "Yeah, this is Mike, what can I do for you Jeremy?"

"Hey, Bruce wanted me to ask you if you could come in earlier tonight, at 11:00 or something." Mike glanced at his clock, it was just after 5:00pm. It wouldn't hurt him to go in early, for whatever reason he needed for.

"I don't see why not, does he need me for something?"

"He said he needed to talk to you about something. He didn't tell me what it was about, and I'm not sure if he's going to pay you for it, though." That didn't matter too much to Mike, it wasn't like there was much for him to do at home, since his parents usually were getting ready for bed at that time, and Anna usually went out with her friends very late on Friday nights. Not being paid for the hour wouldn't hurt him much, but he might be able to get something out of it regardless. "Hey, hello? Hello? Are you still there, Mike?"

Mike's attention returned to his coworker at the other end of the phone. "Yeah, I can make it, sorry."

"Great! Talk to you later, goodnight." Mike was going to say goodbye to Jeremy, but he hung up the phone before he could say another word. _What a strange man, he has an odd way of talking. _Mike didn't know much about Jeremy, or any other staff members other than Tony, for that matter. It probably wouldn't hurt him to get to know them better, they might be able to offer some insight on the animatronics, or the pizzeria in general as well.

Anna reentered the room, focusing on her phone as she stopped at the end of Mike's bed. "I'm going out with Terry and his friends tonight, are you going to get out of bed today or what?" She said playfully.

"Yeah, I guess I can't take my bed to work." Mike stretched as he stood up out his bed. "Besides, Bruce my manager asked me to come in early tonight to talk to me about something."

Anna looked up from her phone towards her brother. "Nothing bad, I hope?"

Mike shook his head. "I doubt it, I haven't done anything wrong. Shouldn't you be leaving soon? Normally you would have left by now to spend time with your friends, or in this case, Terrence."

She gave Mike a cocky smile. "You can call him Terry, Mike, it's alright."

"As long as he doesn't call me Mikey," he said has they laughed together.

"Mom wanted me to make sure you were awake before I left, but it seemed you woke yourself up," she answered as she made her way back towards the door. "I'll do some research when I get home, tomorrow we can talk about it."

Mike smiled at his sister as he collected some clothes for himself to wear before his shift. "That sounds like a deal, see you later alligator."

"After a while, crocodile," she responded as she left down the hall. As Mike made his way to the bathroom to shower, he heard the front door shut, signalling the departure of his sister. He was glad that he was so close with his sibling, and that they would be able to do some detective work together, like they had as children for fun. On top of that they could finally talk about something other than the pizzeria or his parents, which had occupied their free time for most the past couple weeks.

Mike wasn't particularly fond of the attention his family had towards him at the moment, normally his sister received more attention. She deserved it, she had a great future in store for her, she was going to work at the law firm with her father. While Mike was studying to become a doctor, he was beginning to question his future in the field of medicine. Of course, it would be a rewarding, well-paying and stable career that would last him until his retirement, but at the same time, it would mean leaving the pizzeria, where he had made numerous friends. It isn't going to be an easy decision to pick between the two, but at the very least it wasn't a concern for now.

Tonight he would ask Freddy about Golden Freddy, even though the bear had told him to stay in the office, he needed to get some solid answers for once. He could also see if Bruce had anything to add, the meeting likely wouldn't take up the full hour before his shift formally began at midnight. Still, Mike had a feeling that perhaps he was getting a bit too deep. The pizzeria had a complex past, there was no denying that. But he was in too deep now, sooner or later Mike would find the truths, for better or for worse.

* * *

It was the beginning of Mike's fifth night of his third week at the pizzeria. He had arrived around 10:50pm, as he had to meet with his manager before his shift could begin. Mike shivered at the cold, despite it being the middle of Spring the weather had yet to warm up, and the security uniforms weren't made from anything cooler than 10 degrees.

Despite Freddy forbidding him from speaking to the animatronics and restricting him to his office, Mike was excited to see what the night would entail. He doubted that Freddy would refuse to answer his questions, but he didn't know the bear well enough to be sure. He had probably the worst response possible to Mike inquiring about the true nature of the animatronics, but questions about Golden Freddy and the history of the pizzeria were far less harmful. _Then again, how is a question about the reality of the animatronics a harmful question?_ One thing was for sure, tonight he would at least learn something from Bruce, and his role with the animatronics and the history of the pizzeria.

Bruce wasn't Mike's favourite manager, he wasn't the most competent at his job. He had an entitled personality, where it seemed like he was always the most important person in the room, and could not do a thing wrong, despite the fact that the pizzeria wasn't doing so well as it has in the past. All around the pizzeria was dirty and in need of in-depth maintenance, the animatronics had to pick up the slack and spend their free time cleaning their home. Bruce was the type of manager to deny any wrong-doing and shrug-off responsibility, so Mike wasn't sure how he made it to where he was.

Mike made his way into the manager's office, located at the end of the East Hall, opposite to the security office. The door was left open and the lights were on, a sight that Mike was not used to. Bruce was seated in his desk, surrounded by filing cabinets and shelves full of various books and papers in the rather spacious office space. Bruce spoke up as Mike entered, clearing his throat and organizing the papers in front of him dramatically.

"Hello there Mike, thank you for coming in early tonight." With a toothy smile, Bruce held his hand out, which the security guard shook awkwardly. "You know, you've worked for me longer than any night guard has in years, so I appreciate that. Take a seat."

_I wonder why._ Mike sat down in the chair in front of the desk, which was a simple plastic chair with worn out wheels, while Bruce sat in a cushy leather office chair, also with wheels. "I like to think of myself of a loyal and reliable guy," Mike said, humouring his manager. "So what is this meeting for?"

Bruce withdrew a paper from the stack on his desk, glancing at it now and then as he spoke. "I wanted to discuss an inconvenience that seemed to have developed during this week. It seems that you've been a bit too touchy with the animatronics, and haven't been spending all your time in the security office. I don't pay you to socialize or cook, I pay you to watch this place. You understand, right?"

Mike responded with a confused look. _How did he know that I talked to the animatronics? _Mike remembered his training, where Bruce had specifically stated the cameras did record audio and video, but it could only be rewatched up to 24 hours after. _Was he lying, or did he find out another way?_ Regardless, Mike decided to play dumb, he already had been chastised by Freddy, and didn't want to lose his job on top of that.

"I don't understand, I have spoken to them in little bits now and then, but I stay within the office," Mike replied, attempting to justify himself.

Bruce seemed to be prepared for this, as he withdrew several photographs from his desk, placing this in front of Mike for him to see. They were of him and the animatronics talking in the dining area and the security office, leaving no room for debate. "How do you explain these then?"

Mike paled, he couldn't counter this. "It was just small talk, nothing more… besides, Freddy has already asked me to stay within the office and focus on the cameras, which I have been doing since."

"Yes, I've been told. But if you look at this photo…" Bruce pointed to one particular photo, which showed Bonnie speaking to Mike, clearly breaking the rules. "...It was taken last night, which tells me that you need to be told a second time."

"Right…" Mike wasn't sure how to respond. He had clearly been caught, and didn't have a way out. While he could throw Bonnie under the bus, as the bunny was the one to approach Mike and initiate a conversation, Mike didn't feel as though that was fair. After all, he could have refused to speak to Bonnie, but chose not to. Oddly Mike noticed that the picture was taken from the West Hall, in a position where there was not a camera. The same was true for most of the other photos as well, upon closer examination"I'm sorry, you're right."

A cheeky smile spread on Bruce's face. "I accept your apology. Since I'm in a good mood, I'll allow you to keep your job. However, your pay will be reduced back down to minimum wage. I need to make sure you learn your lesson, after all."

Mike was not happy to hear that, his guilt shifted to frustration. He only made 20 cents above minimum wage, which he had earned after completing his first week. It was part of his contract that his pay would increase, and while it was only 20 cents, it was better than nothing. To have it taken away was an insult to the security guard, and only cemented his manager as a cheapskate to Mike. "I understand."

"That's excellent. Now do you have any more questions? I would like to head home now." Mike initially was planning on asking Bruce some of the questions he'd had about the pizzeria and its animatronics, but decided that it was better to save them for Freddy. Judging by his manager's actions and tone, he's going to have to be more careful from here on out. _I'm not painting a larger target on my back for this jerk._

After his manager left, Mike made his way into the security office. Both Freddy and his manager were becoming hostile with him. To make things even worse, it was becoming apparent to Mike that someone was watching him, as the pictures that were used as damning evidence had to have been taken by a camera or phone, rather than the security cameras, due to the position they were taken from.

Mike slumped down in his chair. It was going to be a slow night, while he did bring his Nintendo Switch with him, he doubted it would entertain him tonight. Bonnie wouldn't come by to chat, and Chica likely wouldn't be allowed to prepare a meal for him. Not that Mike expected her to, it was a nice gesture that the chicken was more than happy to do. Of course Mike also wanted to get to know Foxy more, but the fox hadn't come by his office yet, and obviously Freddy wasn't going to break his own rule.

Without a doubt Mike wasn't going to learn anything more about Golden Freddy, or have any of his other questions he so desperately wanted answered. _Freddy and Bruce are probably talking behind the scenes. How else would Bruce have known, Freddy must have taken those pictures! _Mike didn't want to believe that Freddy would stoop that low, but it was the best answer he could come up with.

Pulling out his Nintendo Switch, Mike saw that it wasn't even 11:30pm.

_Whoop-de-doo..._

* * *

Freddy sat with the others in the lounge. He was in the armchair to the side, a chair that only he sat in, while Bonnie and Chica were snuggled together under a quilt, Foxy sat close by. They were watching another of the movie's Mike had given them, this one was about a princess who lived in the ocean, and was a fish. There was a word for it, but the bear couldn't remember, as his mind was occupied.

Ever since they opened up to Mike, the others were happier than they've been in years. Bonnie and Chica had immediately taken a liking to him, as they were always friendly to new people. It was great during the day when they used to be allowed to greet and hug the children who visited the pizzeria, ever since the bite they were stuck on the stage, despite it happening over 30 years ago. The only time they were able to move around and stretch was at night, which they took full advantage of.

Foxy took a bit longer to accept Mike, but after receiving a touching gift from him, he quickly changed his mind. Ever since the bite Foxy had been the most upset of them all, being close to the one who carried it out, it was hard for him to accept, which led him to develop a sort of depression. It led to him being unwilling to perform now and then, with the current closure being far longer than usual. When Foxy received the book from Mike, it was as if new life was brought into him. Pirate Cove was reopened the next day, and drew in large crowds of children, and even some adults with his new stories, which he told with enthusiasm that he had not seen from the fox in a long time.

Unfortunately Freddy barring him and the others from speaking to Mike had dampened his mood once again. Foxy was eager to share his stories of the day with the security guard, and had not taken it well when Fredddy informed him of the rule change.

Seeing his family in much better spirits than they have been in a long time made Freddy happy himself, from hearing them talk about Mike to enjoying the movies he had brought, he felt bad that he had listened to Golden Freddy. Mike was a good kid, and didn't deserve to be treated so poorly.

Freddy was beginning to doubt his decision. Everyone, including himself liked Mike, and he knew that he would find out about their true nature eventually, either through one of them telling him, or by putting the puzzle pieces together. He was a smart kid, he had to have made it this far. Three weeks was far longer than anyone had expected.

Freddy felt a fifth presence in the room, he glanced to the rest of the room behind the others, and spotted Golden Freddy lurking in the shadows. He was watching Freddy with a knowing look, gesturing towards the door, before he teleported away. _I hate it when he does that. _

As far as the others knew, Golden Freddy was dead, as they did not know of his existence, other than the fact that he and Spring Bonnie were at the original store before all of them came into this pizzeria. Golden Freddy only made himself known to Freddy, aiding in his decision making. As much as Freddy desired to be a strong independent leader, he struggled a lot, which led him to accept the golden bear's advice, for better or for worse. He didn't know why Golden Freddy was still around, why he could teleport or what his purpose was, but he had a feeling that he was up to nothing good.

Freddy stood up out of his chair, catching the other's attention. "I'll be right back."

They didn't question him, and returned to the movie. Freddy made his way into the backstage where Golden Freddy was sitting on the table in the center of the room, his arms crossed with a disapproving look. "I see that Mike isn't listening to your rules. And here I thought that you were able to put your foot down, Freddy Fazbear."

Freddy frowned back at his golden counterpart. "What do you mean? He listened to what I asked."

A smirk spread across Golden Freddy's face, as he held up a photo of Mike and Bonnie talking, and another of him and Chica doing the same. "These were taken last night."

Freddy looked at the pictures miserably. _Why, Mike? Why did you have to speak to them? _As much as he didn't like putting in the new rule, it was better for Mike to just listen, instead of fighting back. "I'm sorry, I guess the others really wanted to speak with him. I'll have another word with them, but are you sure this is all worth it? Mike is a good kid."

"If he was a good kid, he'd listen. And the same goes for you," Golden Freddy said sternly. "If you want to go against my advice, then go right ahead. But don't be surprised if it comes back to bite you."

Golden Freddy stood up, and made his way to the door. Freddy watched him grab the doorknob, before turning back to face the brown bear.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

With that, Golden Freddy disappeared, teleporting away instead of using the door. Freddy leaned his back against one of the shelves, as he needed to process what just happened. _Goldie's been taking pictures of Mike… but why? What does he get out of that?_ It didn't make any sense to Freddy, since he hadn't seen Golden Freddy go so far with his schemes. Sure, he had made Freddy do some dirty work for him, such as working with the golden bear to get the previous manager fired, but this was going low, as if he had a personal vendetta against Mike.

Freddy was beginning to doubt that Golden Freddy was right, he was taking things too far. He thought back to what he had said, perhaps the most notable part of the exchange they had. _If you want to go against my advice, then go right ahead._ Golden Freddy did warn that there would be consequences for disobeying him, but he doubted that there was much he could do. The golden bear could teleport, but aside from that Freddy wasn't aware of any other tricks he could pull. Not that he knew much about him, but he felt as though it was time to pull his own weight around. _I'm supposed to be a leader, and now it's time to prove it._

Freddy fixed his bow tie and top hat, as he made his way towards the dining area. He was going to make things right.

* * *

Around 2:00am, Mike began to feel hunger set in. He hadn't eaten since he had his lunch, around 6:00pm, with his parents after they came home from shopping. His mother had put together a dinner for him made from leftovers, but it needed a microwave, of which Mike had not seen. Freddy had made it clear that Mike wasn't allowed to leave the office, but he had to in order to use the washroom, which was across the building, and he also needed to use the microwave. Cold soup was not something Mike could stomach.

Mike was bored out of his mind, he hadn't seen the animatronics on the security cameras, aside from when they all funneled into the lounge through the backstage. Without anyone to talk to or any chance of doing so, Mike was beginning to lose his mind in the small security office. _Going for a short walk would probably help me last_, Mike thought to himself as he put away his Nintendo Switch

Before he left, Mike checked the security cameras one last time, again finding the restaurant as lifeless as he felt. He made his way through the pizzeria quietly, even though he doubted that Freddy would object to his basic needs. After using the restroom Mike made his way towards the kitchen, only to find the door locked. Frustrated, Mike tried looking through the small windows to see if anyone was inside, despite the lack of any lights.

"What do you need in there?" A voice behind him caused Mike to jump. He spun around, finding Freddy Fazbear towering over him, not looking pleased.

"I need a microwave, to heat up my dinner," he replied, holding up the glass container full of soup.

Freddy narrowed his eyes at the security guard and crossed his arms, clearly not pleased with that answer. "You're supposed to stay inside of the security office, Mike." Despite the lack of room for debate in Freddy's tone, Mike decided to shoot his shot.

"I need to eventually, Freddy… what if I need to use the washroom?"

Freddy remained stoic, not taking his displeased eyes off of Mike. "Use a water bottle."

Mike opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't think of any way to reply the bear's answer. _He can't be serious, can he? _Trying to find words, Mike noticed the corners of Freddy's frown tremble, before he gave away. The bear burst into laughter, which Mike quickly joined in. Freddy had to put a hand up to the wall next to Mike, to stop himself from falling.

"You… you thought I was serious? I can't believe it!" Freddy said as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"I can't believe I fell for that, you're ridiculous!" Mike replied as his laughter died down.

Freddy let out a sigh as he regained his composure. He stepped away from the door, giving Mike more room. "I'm sorry Mike. I haven't been fair to you. You probably think I hate you, don't you?"

Mike gave the bear a pity smile. While he was less than impressed with Freddy for barring him from seeing the others, it would be a stretch to say that Mike hated him. "I may not like being forced to spend the nights alone in the office, but I don't hate you for it. It is my job after all."

"I'm sorry that it has to be this way. I miss talking with you as much as the others, I'll admit, but I'm sure you understand why I made this decision," Freddy added, with a sympathetic smile. He looked as though he was about to say something else, but looked away from the security guard.

Mike decided he would capitalize on Freddy's good mood. "Freddy, was Bruce the one who asked you to tell me to stay in the office and not speak to you guys?"

Freddy gave Mike a confused look. "No, I don't speak to the manager unless it's important. Why, did he speak to you about us?"

"Yeah, he said the same thing you said. He even had pictures of us talking from before you made the rule, and used them as evidence." Mike chose to leave out the chat he had with Bonnie after the rule was made. "What was weird was that they weren't taken from the security cameras, because they aren't from where they are located. Someone was taking pictures of us."

Freddy's face went from confused to concerned. "Are these pictures still in the manager's office?"

Mike nodded. "Yeah, it's locked, do you have a key?"

The bear smiled and removed his top hat, and pulled a set of keys out from it. Mike wasn't sure if he should be surprised or not, the bear had many secrets that he was learning over time. The two made their way to the office, where the pictures were still scattered on Bruce's desk. Mike picked up one that showed all four animatronics with Mike. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that Freddy was in some of them. _Oops._ "I thought you had taken the pictures, but you're in some of them, so I guess not."

Freddy shook his head. "No, I didn't. I can promise you that."

Mike placed the photos back on the desk and Freddy gestured for him to leave the office, locking it back up behind them. "Who took them, then?"

It took Freddy some time to respond, his face was a mix of emotions, from frustration to sadness. Finally he responded. "I know who, but I can't tell you. I know that isn't the answer you want, but I just can't. I'm sorry Mike."

Mike was annoyed at the lack of a solid answer, but Freddy appeared to be telling the truth. He didn't have a reason to believe otherwise, as while they weren't on the best of terms, the bear had only been honest to him. Regardless, Mike had a feeling that he knew who could have taken them, and worked with Bruce, as there was a fifth animatronic he had yet to formally meet. "It's fine, I understand."

"Thank you." Freddy still had an upset look on his face, but it eased as they spoke again. "There's a microwave in the lounge, you can use that one to heat up your dinner, that way you can say hi to the others tonight."

"Really? You're ok with that, Freddy?"

"Yeah, I don't see why not," Freddy added as he gestured for Mike to follow him, which the security guard gladly accepted.

"Alright, I won't complain." Mike was surprised to hear this change of heart from the bear. "But what if I get in trouble again?"

Freddy was prepared for this question. "The manager can't bar you from eating, You don't even get a formal break, so refusing you the privilege of using a microwave would be ridiculous." He stopped in his tracks and turned to face Mike. A chill went down his spine, as Freddy's eyes were glazed over black. "And he does try to get rid of you, he'll have to get through me first."

Without another word Freddy resumed his pace towards the backstage and lounge. Even though he knew that Freddy and the others were harmless, they could still scare Mike easily. The image of Freddy staring into the East Hall Corner camera with glossy black eyes was forever burned into his memory after working at the pizzeria for two weeks. But regardless, it seemed that Freddy was beginning to have a change of heart, by allowing him to at least say hello to the others. _Maybe he's going to revoke the rule?_ Mike thought to himself, feeling hopeful.

When the two arrived at the lounge door, Freddy opened it for Mike, allowing him to step into the room first. Bonnie, Chica and Foxy were all seated on the couch, a blanket over the first two who sat closer. Their faces lit as their attention was turned to the door, as they all scurried over to greet the security guard.

"Mike! We missed you!"

"Aye, I forgot how quiet it be without ye, Mike."

Mike let out a laugh at their enthusiasm, as Freddy joined him in the room. "He's here to use the microwave, so feel free to chat with him for now, but after its food is warmed he has to return to the security office."

The other's drooped down as they heard the bear's command, but they didn't argue. Mike decided to keep their spirits up despite the short visit he was granted. "It's better than nothing! I've missed you guys."

Chica clapped her hands together, as Bonnie held up the recipe book he had given the chicken earlier in the week., "Chica and I are going to make you lasagna tomorrow!"

Mike raised an eyebrow at them. "You're going to help her, Bonnie?"

Bonnie smiled as he hugged the book to his body. "Yeah, I had to explain to her what lasagna was. She thought it was a cake, so I'm going to make sure she doesn't mess it up."

The others broke into laughter as Chica's face went red, quickly defending herself. "Come on, it looks like cake in those black and white pictures!"

Bonnie turned his attention to Freddy, who was watching them with an amused grin. "Can we please deliver to Mike? We promise not to talk to him, we'll place it on his desk…"

Freddy's smile disappeared as his face turned more serious. He looked towards Mike, who seemed to understand the bear's inner debate. _What if Bruce finds out?_ The bear sighed, he had give the others an answer, it was too difficult to leave them in the dark.

"I'm going to have to say no. You're more than welcome to make it, but only I can deliver it. His manager has strictly told him to stay within the office and to not speak with any of us, under threat of termination." Bonnie, Chica and Foxy gasped, as they were not aware of this development.

Foxy raised his hook at the bear, his shock was replaced with anger. "Aye, ye' told Bruce to enforce yer' rule, didn't ye' captain? What did Mike do to ye to deserve all this?" Bonnie and Chica didn't look too pleased with Freddy either.

Freddy raised his hands in defence of himself. "I didn't tell Bruce about the rule, nor was I aware of it. Mike came in early today to speak with him, where Bruce revealed pictures of us talking, in order to prove Mike's guilt. I'm sorry, I know it's hard to believe, but I wouldn't be that cruel. I like Mike as much as you all do."

The others seemed to believe Freddy, lowered their anger, as Mike decided to support the bear. "Yeah, I showed Freddy the pictures. Someone else must be working behind the scenes to get rid of me, and I'm sure it isn't Freddy."

Foxy lowered his hook, a remorseful look replaced his anger. "Blimey, I'm sorry captain, I can't argue against that. If Mike says yer' innocent, then it must be true."

Freddy gave Mike a thankful look, but the calmed mood didn't last as Bonnie spoke up. "Hold on, if you aren't a part of this plan to get rid of Mike, then who is?

"Bruce isn't the… most intelligent of people who've worked here, I doubt he put it together himself." Chica added.

"None of us took the pictures since we're all in them, nor are they from the cameras, and we would have heard Bruce enter the pizzeria, so who could it be?" Mike had an idea of who it was, but decided to ask the others. They all shook their heads, but eventually the eyes turned to Freddy.

"Did someone ask ye' to introduce yer' rule? Who was it?" Foxy asked, beginning to put the pieces together.

Freddy's face paled, he was in the spotlight, everyone was expecting an answer from him. He hung his head low. Mike couldn't help but feel bad for him, as he was beginning to believe that Freddy was being pressured into acting the way he did. Freddy opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted as another voice spoke up.

"It's me," Golden Freddy said, everyone quickly turning to face the golden bear. Mike felt his blood freeze, the face that had haunted him returned. Turning to the others, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy were all shocked, while Freddy looked more fearful. Golden Freddy stepped forward, his black eyes staring into Mike's soul.

"It seems we have some rule breakers here that need to be taught a lesson."


End file.
